Ak Mujin was pretending to have lost his memory, but he knew very well where Elder Yeo was taking him. Deep within the House of courtesans building, there was a secret chamber, which was further divided into several rooms.
It was a place prepared for sudden evacuations, but it was also often used by those dispatched from the Demonic Cult to organize ledgers or gather information, who would receive reports in this secret chamber. Ak Mujin, the former Vice Leader of the Demonic Cult, liked this place, cut off from the outside world reeking of alcohol, very, very much.
The hallway, dimly lit in the darkness, felt quite luxurious and refined, unlike the rather chaotic interior of the House of courtesans. And if one were to examine the details of the architecture while walking down the hallway, the Demonic Cult’s insignia was engraved on the decorations, including the doorknobs.
Ak Mujin felt inwardly uncomfortable seeing this insignia again. He hadn’t even fully returned to the main base yet, but he already felt as if he were trapped there.
In fact, he was already in a position where he could say that. How could he, in this body, escape from the grasp of a skilled person like Elder Yeo? If he went to Heavenly Mountain like this, Ak Mujin, who was useless in every way, would only face the ending of death.
Thinking that far, Ak Mujin realized once again that he was facing a rather serious problem.
If he couldn’t escape safely before reaching Heavenly Mountain, his fate was uncertain. If the development of ‘dying and waking up to reality’ continued, that would be the best-case scenario, but the problem was that this world felt so real, and after rotting away for 15 years, it felt more real than reality, which was an obstacle if anything. If he died like this, it seemed like there would be no next life as Ahn Do-hyun.
He felt a chill of fear and a cold sweat trickled down his temple, and he trembled slightly.
Since Elder Yeo was the one who gifted this House of courtesans to Ak Mujin, he already knew the interior of the House of courtesans well. The inner chamber he strode into had a glossy black round table and chairs in the center of the room, and it was filled with various ornate porcelains that were not used for anything other than decoration. There was a skylight high on the right wall from the entrance, and below it, like a small pavilion, there was a raised space where about two people could sit. Opposite that, behind a beaded curtain, was a spacious bed.
Elder Yeo closed the door, looked around the room once, and then sat Ak Mujin down on a cushion placed under the skylight. Then, he pulled out one of the chairs neatly arranged under the table and plopped down. He, too, seemed to have used up some energy coaxing and appeasing Ak Mujin and rushing across Hubei.
“Let’s rest here tonight and depart slowly tomorrow morning. There will probably be clothes here that Young master can wear.”
Only then did Ak Mujin look down at his attire. Although he had tried to tidy it up, it was dirty and slightly tattered here and there from escaping Illusion Valley and being dragged to the Martial Alliance, which didn’t look very good.
But what did clothing matter in this situation? Clothes and everything else were secondary; escape was the most urgent thing, so no matter what he said, it didn’t register properly.
Ak Mujin spoke to Elder Yeo once more. He was just about to pour water from the teapot prepared on the table and drink it.
“Are you really going to take me to Heavenly Mountain? I am, after all, a great fool who remembers nothing.”
At those words, Elder Yeo quietly looked at Ak Mujin. Then, he put down the cup he was about to drink from and slowly approached Ak Mujin, one step at a time.
His thick palm tapped the small tea table placed next to Ak Mujin.
“There’s no guarantee that those memories… won’t return eventually, is there?”
Elder Yeo’s voice was slow, clear, and imposing. As Ak Mujin stared back at him with wide eyes, Elder Yeo’s eyes seemed to pierce through Ak Mujin.
Ak Mujin knew what he was worried about.
First of all, Ak Mujin’s claim that he had no memory was just his assertion, and there was no evidence to believe it. Also, even if he had no memory now, it could come back like a bolt of lightning later, couldn’t it? If that happened, Elder Yeo, who was in charge of tracking the Second Young Master, would be in a difficult position.
From the Demonic Cult’s point of view, they couldn’t easily release someone who had such suspicions, someone who had once served as the Vice Leader of the Demonic Cult, could they?
Ak Mujin swallowed hard and averted his gaze. Then, Elder Yeo returned to his seat and sat down.
“Then, how far back do you remember? Do you know who you are?”
“…I…”
In fact, Elder Yeo probably knew Ak Mujin’s situation as well. Judging by appearances, he had lost all of his Inner Force, and even if he had his memories, he would be nothing more than a fly on the wall, not knowing when he would die if he returned to the Demonic Cult.
The Elder Yeo that Ak Mujin knew was a Demonic Cult person to the bone. No matter what situation Ak Mujin was in, he wouldn’t feel sorry for him, let alone show any affection.
“Honestly, I remember almost nothing…”
Ak Mujin muttered, almost giving up. At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard.
The moment he realized whose voice it was, Ak Mujin’s eyes lit up.
“Elder Yeo, you’ve arrived? It’s been a while.”
The woman who entered the inner chamber with those words was none other than Chun-wol. She was the courtesan who had once wielded a blade at Ak Mujin to end his life, but instead, she had sworn allegiance to Ak Mujin and her situation had improved somewhat.
She, too, couldn’t hide her surprise when she confirmed that the person who had come with Elder Yeo was Ak Mujin, and she covered her mouth with her sleeve.
“Young master…!”
Ak Mujin’s existence was special to Chun-wol. He had allowed her, who had been forcibly sold to the House of courtesans, to only do music. In addition, he had occasionally taught her Sound Art, including Inner Force cultivation methods, so that she could protect herself to some extent.
Chun-wol didn’t stop there and succeeded in solidifying her position in the House of courtesans for 15 years, eventually becoming Madam Lou. No matter how much Ak Mujin was her backer, it was difficult for her, a mere courtesan, to become the owner of a House of courtesans.
Of course, at first, it felt quite difficult to have to make money using the same women. However, by playing the role of the owner here, she was able to take care of the other members as well. Thanks to this, the Fragrant Flower Pavilion was no longer a place where guests could treat the courtesans carelessly, and it was transformed from a House of courtesans into an entertainment venue closer to a music hall. Ak Mujin also agreed with Chun-wol’s intentions, so he was quite pleased with the change.
Ak Mujin, with his heart full of joy, almost forgot that he was pretending to have lost his memory and was about to call out to her in a moment. It was fortunate that he had become accustomed to acting as the aloof Second Young Master of the Demonic Cult. He calmly calmed his mind and looked at her with a blank face.
“…It seems this person knows me as well.”
Chun-wol looked at Elder Yeo with a puzzled expression at Ak Mujin’s rather strange attitude. Elder Yeo sighed once and said.
“It seems he lost his memory on the day he went missing.”
“That can’t be…”
Ak Mujin pretended to be indifferent and stared straight ahead.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Perhaps a doctor…”
Chun-wol said busily and approached Ak Mujin a little closer. Ak Mujin, even though they were close, was a little surprised when the woman suddenly approached him and flinched slightly.
“It’s alright. I’m not hurt anywhere.”
When Ak Mujin politely refused Chun-wol, Chun-wol hid her hands in her sleeves as if embarrassed and stood up straight.
Meanwhile, two attendants who had followed Chun-wol busily placed food and drinks on the table and left the inner chamber. The dark and desolate inner chamber was soon filled with the smell of warm food.
Elder Yeo simply shook his head.
“He doesn’t seem to be hurt. We need to return to Heavenly Mountain as soon as possible, but I stopped by to see if there were any separate instructions from the Demonic Cult.”
Elder Yeo finally took a sip of water. At his words, Chun-wol nodded as if she had remembered something.
“Ah. Rather than instructions, there’s news that came. But…”
She was about to tell Elder Yeo something right away, but seeing that Ak Mujin was listening, she seemed to hesitate for a moment whether it was okay to tell him here as it was. Elder Yeo gestured that it was okay and started eating, picking up his chopsticks.
“That is… it’s news that came yesterday, but the First Young Master has died in prison.”
No sooner had Chun-wol finished speaking than the chopsticks that were touching the stir-fried vegetables and meat stopped moving.
Instead of being greatly surprised, Ak Mujin blinked once.