Asking for tea? The General Commander? Coming to none other than this place, the residence of the Third Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect? Why on earth?
Seo Ryang, who had been staring at him blankly, tilted his head slightly.
"I’m afraid not."
"……?"
"I’m busy right now. Ah, since you heard from behind, I trust you already know."
He looked at Wi Hongryeon. Wi Hongryeon was opening and closing her mouth like a fish, looking quite shocked.
"Hey, Wi Daesu."
"……."
"Crazy woman?"
"What kind of bastard called me a crazy woman…… huh?"
"Wow. Why don’t you shout louder? Why not just scream it to the world? Huh?"
"No, I didn’t realize it was the Young Master."
"Enough, take the General Commander and go back. Got it?"
"Yes, yes?"
"Move your hand. I’m closing the door."
Wi Hongryeon was startled.
"Young Master! Young Master!"
"What now!"
"The General Commander is here, and you’re going to turn him away?"
Seo Ryang snorted.
"Is there a law that says the homeowner must accept every guest that comes?"
"……!"
"I’m busy enough to die, damn it. Whether your hand breaks or not, I’m closing it now."
Wi Hongryeon quickly withdrew her hand. She knew well that Seo Ryang was someone who did what he said.
At that moment, Ho Yosung stepped forward.
"Third Young Master."
"Do you have something to say?"
"You said you were going to the Armory, right?"
"That’s correct."
"Why are you going to the Demon King’s Armory? Isn’t there the Heavenly Demon’s Armory…… Ah! Come to think of it, you said you went there once before?"
Seo Ryang snorted. As expected.
"Yes, so I’m thinking of going to the Demon King’s Armory."
"It seems the sword you brought before is no longer needed."
"That’s why I’m going to the Armory, right?"
"Oh? I heard you’ve been using an amazing sword technique lately, have you changed your path?"
"What if I have?"
"That’s impressive!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
"They say if a natural genius puts in effort, there’s nothing they can’t achieve!"
"I don’t know about being a genius, but I’ve worked my ass off."
"A man of perseverance! You’re impressive!"
"Thanks again."
The natural flow of conversation between the two left the three others unable to gather their wits. Even Geumho, sitting far away, was rolling his eyes.
‘What is this strangely familiar conversation? Could it be that the two of them know each other well?’
Everyone was holding their breath, looking back and forth between the two.
"But with such great skills, would you be satisfied with the Demon King’s Armory?"
"Because my skills are good, the Demon King’s Armory is enough."
"Huh! I hadn’t thought of it that way, but now that I think about it, it makes sense."
"Are you done talking now?"
"Shall I let you into the Heavenly Demon’s Armory?"
The room froze for a moment.
Seo Ryang’s eyes narrowed.
"Let me into the Heavenly Demon’s Armory? Me?"
"Yes."
"Even though I’ve been in and out once before?"
"Of course."
"Is that possible?"
"Why would I lie about something that would be immediately found out? I don’t do that."
"You’re wise. I also try not to lie unless necessary."
"A meeting of wise men! Today seems like a day for many enjoyable conversations."
"It wouldn’t be for free, would it?"
"Isn’t life about equivalent exchange? You seem experienced."
"Well…… so what’s the price?"
"For a skilled warrior, the Heavenly Demon’s Armory is a place that doesn’t matter whether you go or not, right?"
"Well, that’s true."
"Then I can’t charge a high price. How about you spend the day with me?"
"……What?"
"I just mean let’s have some conversations and maybe a drink at night. Don’t misunderstand."
"If you hadn’t explained, I might have misunderstood."
"Good thing I explained. By the way, I really like women."
Seo Ryang chuckled.
"Please wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes and come out."
"Take your time."
Ho Yosung, with his hands behind his back, was smiling broadly.
Leaving Ho Yosung and Wi Hongryeon outside, Seo Ryang went inside to change his clothes. Of course, Ma Dongpil followed him in.
"Young Master."
Ma Dongpil’s face was a mix of surprise and confusion.
"Could it be…… you’ve known the General Commander for a long time?"
"How could that be?"
"Ah…… but, how should I say……."
"……."
"The conversation was very intimate…… I’m sorry. As a subordinate, I shouldn’t have intruded."
"It was just a conversation in front of everyone. Don’t worry about it."
"Ah, yes."
"By the way, Dongpil."
"Yes, Young Master."
Seo Ryang, wearing a black martial robe with a belt and a sword, spoke seriously.
"Go to Hwanhee Wonju for a moment."
"Hwanhee Wonju?"
"Ask if there was a meeting with the General Commander while I was outside the sect."
"……."
"If there was, ask what was discussed, and if anything about me was mentioned."
Ma Dongpil tilted his head in confusion.
‘Why Hwanhee Wonju?’
On the other hand, Seo Ryang’s face was more serious than ever.
‘Damn it.’
This was, of course, the first time meeting General Commander Ho Yosung. As the Third Young Master Seo Ryang, not as the reincarnated King of Assassins.
However, Ho Yosung knew him well. Not only about the previous Seo Ryang but also about himself after reincarnation.
The words he casually threw out were a series of unusual content. They were so light that they could be easily overlooked, but upon reflection, they were words that couldn’t be ignored.
- Oh? I heard you’ve been using an amazing sword technique lately, have you changed your path?
The first time he properly wielded a sword was when he destroyed the Fourth Young Master Hong Wemun. Of course, the rumors had spread far and wide afterward, so it was no surprise that the General Commander knew, but still.
Seo Ryang became properly wary of Ho Yosung after that.
- Isn’t life about equivalent exchange? You seem experienced.
- I can’t charge a high price. How about you spend the day with me?
Although he was the one who mentioned the price first, Ho Yosung spoke of high prices, equivalent exchange, and experience in a peculiar way.
Sword technique, transaction, experience.
When these seemingly trivial three words came together, Hwanhee Wonju came to mind.
‘He appeared two days after I arrived at the sect. In other words…….’
Flutter!
Seo Ryang, draped in a pure white long robe, looked exceptionally splendid.
‘Should I assume he knows I went outside the sect? Maybe Hwanhee Wonju told him.’
In fact, aside from that, he wanted to avoid Ho Yosung for now.
The reason being, the moment he first faced him, his heightened senses were pounding his head.
Despite the many recent events, there hadn’t been a time when the alarm went off just by facing someone.
That meant Seo Ryang had become strong enough that the opponents he faced were no longer a significant threat.
Such heightened senses were now loudly triggered upon seeing the General Commander, who had mastered only a handful of martial arts.
What could that mean?
"Have you waited long?"
"Hahaha! Long, you say? I was so busy admiring the scenery that I didn’t notice the time passing. It’s amazing! I wondered why you live in such a secluded place, and it must be because of this serene view!"
"……It’s desolate, though?"
"That’s why it’s good. In places with many trees, there are also many bugs."
Seo Ryang smiled.
"Shall we go?"
"Sounds good."
He spoke to Wi Hongryeon.
"You wait here."
Wi Hongryeon couldn’t open her mouth as before. The look in Seo Ryang’s smiling eyes was unusual.
「Yip!」
Geumho quickly climbed onto Seo Ryang’s shoulder.
"Oh? Are you raising it? It’s an incredibly cute fox."
"Rather than raising it, we just live together."
"Can I touch it?"
"You’ll lose a finger."
"Ha ha."
"I’m serious."
"……Ah, yes."
The distance from Seo Ryang’s residence to the Demon King’s Armory was quite far.
Normally, one would take a carriage, but the two chose to walk.
To be precise, Seo Ryang wanted to walk. He wanted to learn more about him through various conversations.
Thus, they walked side by side, conversing.
Seo Ryang couldn’t figure out anything about Ho Yosung except for one thing.
"So, do you know what I did?"
"I don’t know."
"I said this. You bastards! I am the General Commander of the Heavenly Demon Sect! If I die here, the sect will chase you to the ends of the earth and kill you! Like this."
"So what happened?"
"What do you think? Those bastards just snorted. Well, would conversation work with ignorant people who live by robbery? In the end, despite being the General Commander, I lost everything and returned to the sect in rags."
The unbelievable story of getting caught by bandits during his first vacation and returning penniless ended like that.
Whether it was true or false, Ho Yosung knew how to make the listener enjoy it.
His exquisite control of rhythm, his voice that freely set the mood, and his ability to hit the mark when the time was right were like listening to a skilled ensemble of musicians.
"So what happened to those bandits?"
"Who knows? I haven’t received any reports……."
Ho Yosung made a gesture of slicing his neck with a serious face.
"Didn’t they all end up dead?"
"But did you go on a mountain tour without any escort?"
"I wanted to enjoy freedom. After working so much, just seeing the faces of the sect members drained my energy."
He freely wandered between fiction and truth. It was impossible to tell where fiction ended and truth began.
"You’re brave."
"Hahaha! You’re braver than me, Young Master!"
"Why do you think so?"
"Isn’t it obvious? I went out with official leave, but you snuck out. Such boldness isn’t something just anyone can show."
So he knew.
Seo Ryang clicked his tongue.
"Promise not to tell the Sect Leader."
"Oh? You’re admitting it right away?"
"What’s the point of lying to someone who already knows?"
"Wow! You really don’t lie unless necessary! I admire that manly honesty!"
Good grief.
"But you know."
"Hmm?"
"Even if I don’t tell, the Sect Leader probably already knows, right?"
"……."
"Of course, I haven’t asked him directly, but I’m sure of it."
"How can you be sure?"
"If I know, there’s no way the Sect Leader doesn’t know, right?"
Seo Ryang was at a loss for words at the matter-of-fact statement.
But it was true. Whether Yi Cheonsang was as perceptive as Ho Yosung was unknown, but it was certain that his information network was more impressive than Ho Yosung’s.
"In that case, I’m in quite a dangerous situation."
"Could be, or maybe not. I can’t see how the Sect Leader will move or what he’s thinking."
Of course.
Yi Cheonsang was such an unparalleled absolute being that even calling him amazing would be an understatement.
Analyzing the behavior of such a person would be difficult even for this extraordinary General Commander.
Seo Ryang nodded.
"Well, be that as it may."
"Wow! Be that as it may? That’s not something to be brushed off lightly. The more I see……."
"What’s the real reason you came to see me?"
Ho Yosung winked.
"Simple curiosity."
"Curiosity, you say."
"Yes, I can’t stand it when I’m curious."
Seo Ryang didn’t ask why he was curious about him. He felt like he already knew.
Thud.
Seo Ryang stopped walking.
"Huh? Why did you stop? We still have about five li to go to the Demon King’s Armory."
"I have no choice but to stop."
"What do you mean?"
Seo Ryang, who had been staring at Ho Yosung, grinned.
Ho Yosung, who had been tilting his head in confusion, suddenly had his face harden.
Srrrng.
"There’s no one around."
"……."
"It seems true that you went on a mountain tour alone. I don’t sense any escort."
"……Why are you being so scary?"
Seo Ryang’s tone changed.
"No matter how I think about it, the atmosphere is just too strange."
Thud.
A blade rested on Ho Yosung’s shoulder.
Seo Ryang’s eyes turned chillingly cold.
"Are you ready to lose your head?"