CDF Chapter 36

Cha Gwang tilted his head.

Third Young Master? Was there such a position in our cult?

There was no such official position. However, there were those called Young Master and Young Miss.

“H-he’s the Cult Leader’s disciple!”

Clank!

Huh?

Cha Gwang blinked. Somehow his crude blade was already on the ground.

What? Did his hand lose strength? He’d never dropped his blade even when nearly dead, so what was this?

When people receive too great a shock, it takes time to accept reality. This was Cha Gwang’s current situation.

Just then, the most unwanted voice in this place instantly pulled the flustered Cha Gwang back to reality.

“Why do you have to listen to me, you asked?”

Stroking his chin, Seo Ryang winked.

“Come to think of it, there’s no absolute reason you must. I just hope you’ll take it as advice. Because…”

Pop!

He pulled out the wine bottle’s cork.

“I might want to pop your heads off just like this. That wouldn’t be fun for either of us, would it? Right?”

Wi Hong-ryeon’s expression changed completely.

It was hard to find people who would speak like this before the world’s Mad Demon Squad Leader. The problem was that she’d gotten into trouble with one of those rare people.

Seo Ryang looked at Cha Gwang.

“What was it you said? You’d let it slide since it’s a good day?”

“Uh… uh…”

“Haha, kid. It’s okay, man! Why exercise nonexistent patience in a world too short to live cautiously? Right?”

“Th-that…”

“More decisively, I’ve completely lost any desire to let things slide. Swordplay needs harmony to make a beautiful picture. Come on in.”

Cha Gwang felt his mind going blank.

“This crazy bastard must be dying to die!” “…You son of a bitch!”

He’d spewed unthinkable insults without knowing the other was the Third Young Master. He wanted to curse himself a hundred times worse.

Just then, Wi Hong-ryeon knelt.

“Divine Cult Invincible! Ten Thousand Demons Submit! Mad Demon Squad Leader Wi Hong-ryeon greets the Third Young Master.”

Unlike Cha Gwang who was frozen in shock and fear, Wi Hong-ryeon appeared calm. Though her nape had turned quite red.

Looking down at her quietly, Seo Ryang shook his neck.

Crack. Crack crack.

“Whew, now that’s more comfortable.”

“…”

“I don’t like receiving excessive respect. It just draws unwanted attention and makes noise – how noisy it gets. But today it tastes quite sweet.”

There was no response from Wi Hong-ryeon.

Even if she didn’t know the young man before her was the Third Young Master, sin was sin. She should be smashing her forehead into the ground and begging for death, and even that wouldn’t be enough.

Yet her greeting ended there.

Seo Ryang smiled.

“Mad Demon Squad Leader.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“May I steal some of your time?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Let your people have their dinner gathering, and let’s have a drink, just the two of us? It shouldn’t take long.”

In that moment, Wi Hong-ryeon realized.

He already knew?!

He clearly knew both that today was the Mad Demon Squad’s dinner gathering and that it was at Purple-Eyebrowed Tower. Otherwise, such dialogue couldn’t come out.

She raised her head to look up at Seo Ryang.

A young man looking down at her with a smile still on his lips and eyes clear as crystal.

Wi Hong-ryeon stood up.

“Cha Gwang.”

“…”

“Cha Gwang!”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

“Take care of the boys and have some drinks. No need to be particularly well-behaved just because the Young Master is here.”

These were words hard to say easily before the Third Young Master.

When Cha Gwang looked at Seo Ryang with uneasy eyes, Seo Ryang nodded as if it was natural.

“That’s right. Otherwise I’d be more uncomfortable.”

Cha Gwang deeply bowed his head.

“I-I receive your command.”

He walked toward the second floor with awkward steps.

Just then, Seo Ryang’s voice came from behind him.

“Hey.”

Cha Gwang’s steps stopped. His nape grew damp at the casual word calling him.

“…You called for me?”

Seo Ryang grinned.

“Live more freely from now on.”

Cha Gwang bent his waist sharply.

“I am deeply sorry!”

Seo Ryang turned his gaze to Wi Hong-ryeon.

“Shall we sit?”

“…Yes.”

As the two sat down, Cha Gwang, who had been awkwardly lingering around, fled up to the second floor.

Shortly after, murmuring spread from the second floor. They too must have heard everything that happened on the first floor, as they didn’t dare make much noise.

Seo Ryang shrugged.

“I don’t know what food you like. I prefer plain tastes.”

“…”

“If it doesn’t suit your taste, order something else.”

Wi Hong-ryeon, who had been quietly watching Seo Ryang, called a server.

“Bring one winter melon soup.”

“Y-yes.”

As the server hurriedly disappeared, Seo Ryang picked up the wine.

“A drink?”

“It would be my honor.”

He filled Wi Hong-ryeon’s cup then his own.

“Drink.”

“Yes.”

They emptied their cups simultaneously.

Seo Ryang frowned.

“They brought quite bland wine.”

Words that would make Do Wigyeong faint if he heard them. Wi Hong-ryeon asked.

“Shall I have them bring different wine?”

“No need. Wine is wine.”

Watching Seo Ryang continuously sipping wine, Wi Hong-ryeon asked.

“Did you have something particular to say to me?”

“Hmm?”

“You seemed to know in advance that our squad had a dinner gathering today.”

“Wouldn’t it be harder not to know? The rumors spread all through the Inner City.”

Such honesty made it easier to speak. Wi Hong-ryeon asked.

“I’ll ask directly. Was I your target?”

Perhaps due to her very stiff tone, it felt particularly provocative.

“Well, yes?”

“If you had something to say to me, you didn’t need to wait until the dinner gathering.”

“My apologies. I just happened to think of business with you today.”

“Not leisurely enough to wait until after the gathering ends, it seems.”

Seo Ryang smiled.

Her displeasure was obvious. The rumors about her cursing even at the Nine Great Demon Elders weren’t false, it seemed.

To show such a reaction even though the other party was the Third Young Master, she truly had an unusual temperament.

“I have this crazy personality where I have to act right when I think of something. If I’ve been rude, I apologize.”

A strange light appeared in Wi Hong-ryeon’s eyes.

This was her first time seeing the Third Young Master. With so many missions, she rarely spent time in the Inner Palace, and she had no desire to get involved with high-status people anyway.

But she had heard rumors.

History’s greatest tyrant. Outstanding talent and strong drive, but equally violent and cold-blooded.

A temperament that makes it hard to easily win people’s hearts. Common sense would say so.

However, before falling to qi deviation, there were quite a few people who quietly followed the Third Young Master. Because they thought being violent was better than being timid and indecisive. In the Demonic Path, violence is sometimes considered a virtue.

Such a person not only says he’s sorry formally but even uses the word “apologize.”

He wants something from me.

Wi Hong-ryeon emptied her cup.

“What do you want from me?”

“I like how quick you get to the point. I hate unnecessary chatter too.”

Seo Ryang spoke while filling his cup.

“Turn yourself in.”

Wi Hong-ryeon’s eyes suddenly flashed.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“I said turn yourself in. It’s just a minor offense anyway, you’ll get off with self-reflection or a pay cut, right?”

“I haven’t committed any crime.”

“Is that so?”

Seo Ryang spoke while chomping on meat.

“Does the Mad Demon Squad receive a thousand taels monthly for squad expenses?”

“…!”

“You’re the worst, not the strongest, right? Even the Heavenly Demon First Army^[1] only gets eight hundred taels monthly for squad expenses, so how do you get over a thousand? Does that make sense?”

Swoosh.

Demonic qi rose from Wi Hong-ryeon’s body.

The emotion carried in the demonic qi was bewilderment. She was so shocked that her perfectly contained control of demonic qi loosened.

Seo Ryang grinned.

“Go to the Criminal Court^[2] and turn yourself in. You get a reduced sentence for surrendering, right? It’s not like you stole public funds, just casually received some money during drinks. For that level of offense, even the Criminal Court can’t imprison the Mad Demon Squad Leader.”

“…”

“Ah, and make sure to name the guy who put money in your hand then. Got it?”

Poof.

Wi Hong-ryeon’s wine cup turned to powder and scattered. Unable to contain her agitation, her demonic qi kept surging.

“…How did you know?”

It was a clear admission. It seemed playing dumb didn’t suit her character.

Seo Ryang smiled.

“I happened to hear about it.”

“…”

“Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to. After you roughly wrap up the dinner gathering, let’s go with you turning yourself in. Understood?”

Rumble rumble.

The table vibrated, making the plates on it rattle.

Simultaneously, the murmuring on the second and third floors stopped. Though pretending otherwise, they too had been listening to everything.

Woong.

Wi Hong-ryeon’s pupils turned blue. Her demonic art was about to open in earnest.

“I see. I wasn’t your target.”

“Hmm?”

“Was the Fourth Young Master your target?”

It was a statement proving that the person who gave the money was the Fourth Young Master. Seo Ryang grinned.

“Correct.”

He admits it too easily. Wi Hong-ryeon was dumbfounded by his honesty.

“You’re trying to pressure the Fourth Young Master through me?”

“That, and some other minor reasons.”

“Why on earth…”

“I have no reason to tell you.”

Just then, the server brought the winter melon soup.

The server’s face turned pale at the murderous atmosphere. After placing the soup as respectfully as possible, the server fled.

“But you do have loyalty. If it was me, I would’ve just pocketed it all, but you shared it with your subordinates?”

“…”

“What are you doing? The food you ordered is here. Eat.”

“There’s no evidence.”

“Huh?”

Wi Hong-ryeon smiled.

A smile close to mockery. The ferocious look in her eyes was a bonus.

“I don’t know where you heard it, but there’s no evidence. If you came to pressure me, you should have at least brought evidence.”

Much ruder speech. It meant her heart had grown that much more urgent.

Seo Ryang snickered.

“A crime without evidence isn’t a crime, is that it?”

“Of course.”

“Is making things complicated your hobby?”

“You’re the one making things complicated, Third Young Master. Why come on our good dinner gathering day and unnecessarily bring up a non-crime crime while advising surrender? I don’t understand.”

Wi Hong-ryeon stood up.

“I enjoyed the drink. Then…”

“Cha Gwang, was it?”

“…?”

“The standby order you gave, wasn’t it to keep your subordinates quiet to prevent the money thing from leaking out?”

“…!”

“Want to make this really complicated? Should we dig through the books to see how much that troublemaker ate here?”

Shiver!

Killing intent surged from Wi Hong-ryeon’s body.

Regardless of the truth, she didn’t like how the Third Young Master kept backing her into a corner. No, this whole situation irritated her.

“You want to take this all the way?”

“My, look at this one’s way of speaking.”

“Please leave. I ask that you stop provoking me further.”

Seo Ryang asked amusingly.

“What will you do if I continue? Draw your sword?”

“How could I?”

Crack.

Wi Hong-ryeon raised her fist while smiling.

“I can’t leave sword marks on an esteemed person’s body.”

“Oh? So bruises are okay then?”

“Being such a high Young Master, you wouldn’t be able to tell anyone you got beaten by a mere squad leader out of shame.”

Valuing strength above all is common sense in the Demonic Path martial world. Especially for a successor candidate aiming for supreme power, getting beaten by a squad leader would be a fatal blow if revealed.

The problem was that Seo Ryang was someone who valued that less than a roadside pebble.

“That’s fine. When people fight, they get bruised and bleed, what’s the big deal?”

“…You!”

“And honestly speaking, could you even leave a scratch on my body with those soft fists?”

Wi Hong-ryeon grinned.

Seo Ryang inwardly rejoiced.

She’s lost it.

Woong!!

Azure demonic qi spreading throughout her entire body.

“I won’t draw my sword so don’t worry…”

Bang!

“Kuk!”

Wi Hong-ryeon, who took a solid hit, crashed through a table and rolled.

The atmosphere rapidly cooled at this outrageous development.

Seo Ryang, who had thrown a kick out of nowhere, tilted his head.

“What? Weren’t you starting?”

“…”

“Damn, I thought the Mad Demon Squad Leader might have some bite, but why so sloppy?”

Rustle.

Wi Hong-ryeon rose from the broken table debris.

Her face, stained with killing intent and madness, was no different from a rakshasa.

“You’re dead.”

Seo Ryang snickered.

“Try to kill me, you bitch.”

On the Mad Demon Squad’s historic dinner gathering day.

The worst crazy bastard began to rampage.