When faced with an unexpected situation, people often find their thoughts paralyzed in an instant. Hong Ye-rin was no exception. She had managed to endure the series of humiliations, but she never imagined that things would escalate to this extreme. She stared at Cheon Ha-jin with wide eyes. His expression was calm, his gaze fixed on her, yet it felt as though he was looking beyond her, at something far more resolute.
‘C-could he really be serious?’
At that moment, the captain of the guard bowed his head. “I will send word to the Demon God Palace. However, it may take some time before the permission to enter is granted…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Understood. As soon as the permission is granted, I will prepare the carriage.”
The captain of the guard, who had shown proper etiquette, quickly retreated with hurried steps.
Hong Ye-rin unconsciously held her breath.
‘He’s serious!’
In truth, there was no need to question it further. No one would dare to falsely request entry into the Demon God Palace.
The Demon God Palace was a sacred ground that even the highest echelons of the sect, who engaged in all sorts of dirty political struggles, would never dare to touch.
The Demon God Palace.
The residence of the sect leader, the incarnation of the Heavenly Demon Pashun, who ruled over the Realm of Desire. It was a massive temple revered as sacred in itself.
This madman was truly planning to take that memorandum to the Demon God Palace, to the sect leader himself.
“Third Young Master!”
Cheon Ha-jin didn’t respond. He simply sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his arms. He had no interest in her from the beginning, and now he truly didn’t care.
Hong Ye-rin’s face turned pale, and she fidgeted nervously.
She had turned a one-on-one fight into a local skirmish, but it was the Third Young Master who had escalated it into an all-out war.
And she wasn’t confident she could handle this all-out war.
“……Are you trying to die together with me?”
Cheon Ha-jin chuckled. “I don’t do deals that aren’t profitable.”
“What?”
“Why would I die with you when only I would suffer? Do you think your life is worth that much?”
Hong Ye-rin’s face twisted in anger.
“What are you planning to say to the sect leader?”
“Is that a problem?”
“If the sect leader finds out about our deal, you won’t get off scot-free either!”
“So what?”
“What?!”
“Tsk tsk.”
Cheon Ha-jin wagged his index finger from side to side.
“I don’t want to waste any more breath, so I’ll make it clear. You’re right. If this mess gets out, I’ll be in trouble too. I might even be kicked out since I’ve lost my martial arts.”
“…….”
“But what about you?”
Hong Ye-rin’s pupils shook violently.
“Everyone knows your family is powerful, but that only works in certain places. At worst, I’ll be expelled, but you’ll end up in prison. Your family’s wealth will be stripped away as punishment for raising a daughter like you.”
Don’t make me laugh!
Hong Ye-rin wanted to say that, but deep down, she already acknowledged the truth in his words.
The arm always bends inward.
If her actions today were revealed, the Third Young Master would be seen as a failure, but she would be buried in the demonic martial world.
And in the worst-case scenario, her family would also fall out of favor with the sect leader.
‘What on earth is going on?!’
She couldn’t understand. The Third Young Master she knew would never make such a reckless move.
That’s why she had been so confident in pushing him.
The reason she was sure he wouldn’t make such a move.
“You… don’t you want to seize power?”
His ambition, comparable to her own.
He was someone who would stop at nothing to become the next successor.
She was certain he would never do something that would damage his own reputation to crush his opponent.
But Cheon Ha-jin’s response was beyond ridiculous.
“Nope.”
“W-what?!”
Even if she combined all the shocks she had received so far, none would compare to the confusion she felt now.
“I don’t know how you saw me, but that’s in the past. I’m not interested in power anymore.”
“Why?!”
“You’re really stupid, aren’t you? Do you think I can become the successor in this state?”
Cheon Ha-jin laughed as if it was amusing.
“You knew that, which is why you came here, right?”
“……!”
“You knew there was no hope, so why were you so sure my desires would remain the same?”
In that instant, Hong Ye-rin felt as though she had been struck on the back of the head.
That’s right. She no longer saw the Third Young Master as a warhorse she could ride.
He was a sick horse, but once a steed that could gallop a thousand miles in a day.
She should have considered what kind of desperate moves such a horse would make when cornered.
Her arrogance, her confidence that she held the reins, her belief that she was in a superior position.
And most importantly, her vague confidence that she would never be harmed—these were what had driven her into a corner.
“I don’t want to see your face anymore, so get out.”
Cheon Ha-jin even closed his eyes. He had regained his composure by calming his mind.
On the other hand, Hong Ye-rin was far from composed.
As time passed, her heart pounded violently with anxiety. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her complexion visibly paled.
‘No! Things can’t go on like this!’
Her opponent was serious, and he had no choice but to be serious. The captain of the guard had already gone to inform the Demon God Palace.
She racked her brain frantically, trying to think of a way to turn this situation around for the better.
But no answer came to her.
‘What should I do? What should I do……?’
At that moment, Cheon Ha-jin opened his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“…….”
“Should I call the guards to throw you out? Get out, now.”
Hong Ye-rin bit her lip.
No answer? No, there was one. But the content written on that answer sheet was too humiliating and disgraceful.
She would rather die than choose that answer.
“What… what should I do?”
Cheon Ha-jin frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Hong Ye-rin bit her lip. Blood trickled from her bitten lip, but she didn’t even notice.
“What should I do to make sure you don’t tell the sect leader about this?”
“I told you to get out, and now you’re spouting nonsense. Get lost with those brutes, you wench.”
The blatant insult made her fists clench involuntarily. But she couldn’t offer to raise the price like before.
The tables had turned.
The one who had pressured the Third Young Master with a deal was now in a situation where she had to make that deal disappear.
How could she erase all the secret transactions that had taken place so far?
Rustle.
Hong Ye-rin pulled out the contract.
Two copies of the contract. The originals with both of their seals.
Her eyes, looking down at the contract, were bloodshot.
Just moments ago, it had seemed like the best card to pressure him, but now it looked like a blade that would cut her own throat.
Sssssk!
Cheon Ha-jin’s eyes lit up.
Hong Ye-rin tore the contract in half, then in half again. Then she brought it to the candle beside her.
Whoosh.
The two sheets of the contract burned to ashes.
Twenty thousand nyang—a fortune—turned to ash in an instant.
Hong Ye-rin spoke.
“The memorandum is with you, but since the contract is gone, there’s no physical evidence.”
Her trembling voice carried a deep sense of defeat and a hint of relief.
Cheon Ha-jin tilted his head.
“That’s true, but does that really matter?”
“……?”
“Are you underestimating the most powerful figure in the demonic martial world? Do you think the sect leader of the Great Heavenly Demon Sect would bother with whether there’s physical evidence or not?”
“……!”
“If he declares you guilty, you’ll be guilty, whether there’s evidence or not.”
Shudder.
Hong Ye-rin’s hands trembled.
Cheon Ha-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“What matters isn’t the scraps of the contract or the memorandum, but what I say to the sect leader. Just like how you tried to manipulate public opinion with false rumors.”
“…….”
“You can do it, so why do you think I can’t? You really live in a simple world, don’t you?”
Cheon Ha-jin waved his hand dismissively.
“I’m tired of talking. Get lost, you wench.”
“I……”
“Why does this one never listen the first time? Get lost already! I have nothing more to say.”
Hong Ye-rin’s expression was now a pitiful mess.
In this situation, she had no choice but to use her last resort.
Something even more humiliating than smashing the cards in her hand herself.
The real answer sheet to resolve this situation, hidden in a corner of her mind but unconsciously ignored and excluded.
That answer was submission.
‘Submission? Bow my head?’
Do I have to bow my head just because I’m scared of this bastard’s mouth? Me?
‘Never!’
She could never do that. It was a matter of her pride as Hong Ye-rin.
But…… if she didn’t bow her head, her future would be ruined. Moreover, it was clear that her family’s reputation would be tarnished.
This was the first limit Hong Ye-rin, who had always reaped the fruits of success with the backing of her family, had encountered.
The wall named “limit” was much higher, wider, and sturdier than she had vaguely imagined.
‘Tsk!’
Should she truly submit? Must she kneel because of this absurd situation?
Cheon Ha-jin, looking at Aeng-hwa, shouted.
“Ugh, this is annoying. Aeng-hwa! Call the guards! These pests need to be dragged out……”
“……I’ll do it.”
“Huh?”
Thud.
Hong Ye-rin knelt and bowed her head.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. But the trembling wasn’t out of fear.
“This lowly one……”
She tightly shut her eyes.
A transparent tear, filled with all sorts of emotions, fell.
“This lowly one dared to be disrespectful to the esteemed figure of the Divine Sect. I humbly beg for your mercy.”
Cheon Ha-jin looked down at her with a cold gaze.
The trembling in Hong Ye-rin’s body only grew more intense. It was clear how much she despised this situation.
“…….”
A heavy silence fell.
In the long silence, only Hong Ye-rin’s ragged breathing could be heard.
How much time had passed?
Whoosh!
The sound of something burning was heard.
“Our debt is settled with this.”
“…….”
“Get out.”
Hong Ye-rin stood up without a word. Her face was hidden as she bowed her head deeply.
And so, Hong Ye-rin and her two martial attendants disappeared.
“Phew! This place is really suffocating.”
Whether he reported the deal with Hong Ye-rin to the sect leader or not, it didn’t matter. But if he had to choose, it was safer not to.
Cheon Ha-jin’s expression turned serious.
“Now, all I have to do is wait.”
In any case, Hong Ye-rin was nothing more than a fleeting insect not worth his attention. What mattered now was his conversation with the sect leader.
What if the sect leader refused to see him?
Then there was nothing he could do. He would have to fully recover and consider ways to escape to the outskirts.
But if the sect leader agreed to see him?
If the cold-hearted master, who hadn’t summoned him for three months since he woke up in the Demon God Palace, allowed his disciple to enter?
‘I’ll have to take the direct approach.’
Half a day later.
The voice of the captain of the guard came from outside the door.
“Young Master, we’ve received word from the Demon God Palace.”
“What’s the news?”
“The permission has been granted. The carriage is ready, so please prepare to enter the palace.”
Cheon Ha-jin slowly stood up.
A faint tension was visible on his smiling face.
“Let’s go.”
By now, the matter with Hong Ye-rin had completely vanished from his mind.