Chapter The Demonic Cult Instructor Returns Chapter 98

Chapter 98

“That woman again.”

Mae Seol-lan’s eyes narrowed.

She had met Sa Bigang at a tavern in the neighboring village after he returned to Yongcheon Hall after a long absence.

But once again, Sa Bigang was distracted by someone else.

‘What kind of man is this?’

Mae Seol-lan felt inwardly dissatisfied.

She had never seen a man who would be so distracted with her right in front of him.

Of course, the woman Sa Bigang was looking at was beautiful.

Her face, unveiled from the bamboo hat, was as white and smooth as white jade, and her curved figure was so outstanding that even black light armor couldn’t conceal it.

She felt like she’d seen her somewhere before, and she just remembered.

It was the woman she had seen at the inn near the Yin-Yang Twin Ring Snake’s location when they went to get it.

That day too, Sa Bigang had looked at that woman’s figure with somewhat lecherous eyes.

But.

‘Aren’t I prettier?’

That was her honest feeling.

In fact, most of the people drinking at the tavern were looking at Mae Seol-lan rather than that woman.

Several men had already approached her subtly to start conversations, only to be rejected and turned away.

Even so…

‘This man is only looking at that woman with lecherous eyes! And after we spent a night together, is this really okay?’

Mae Seol-lan felt a strange sense of humiliation and pouted her lips.

‘Well… it was just a simple accident. Right, it was just an accident.’

Just then, Sa Bigang suddenly asked.

“How about it? It seems quite good.”

Mae Seol-lan’s expression twisted sharply.

“How about what? Are you asking me that now? Instructor Sa, you’re really a strange person.”

She deliberately added the title “Instructor” to create distance.

Sa Bigang asked with a puzzled expression.

“Then who should I ask?”

“How would I know?”

“If you don’t know, who would?”

“I don’t know either. If you’re so curious, why don’t you go ask that woman directly?”

Sa Bigang frowned deeply.

An expression that showed he had no idea what she was talking about.

Only then did Mae Seol-lan realize that something had gone wrong in their conversation.

‘What? Wasn’t he asking how that woman was?’

The question had suddenly come while her mind was full of jealousy, causing her to misunderstand.

“You’re the one who ate the snake soup, and you’re the one wearing the accessories, so why should I ask that woman about the effects?”

As she finally grasped the rough situation, Mae Seol-lan’s face turned red as a tomato.

Regardless, Sa Bigang continued.

“It seems to have helped quite a bit. I can tell from the change in your qi.”

Indeed, Sa Bigang had grasped her martial arts level at a glance.

His words were not wrong.

In less than a month, her martial arts had grown remarkably.

She had already surpassed the peak level, but advancing even one step beyond that peak was never easy.

However, martial arts can grow frighteningly fast once it gains momentum again.

Truly rapid daily progress.

The foundation of this was significantly aided by what Sa Bigang called the “snake soup” and the accessories’ effects.

Especially the Yin-Yang Twin Ring Snake was a spiritual creature representing yin and yang energy.

Therefore, since taking the boiled Yin-Yang Twin Ring Snake, her internal energy had been continuously strengthening day by day.

Mae Seol-lan turned her head as if gazing at distant mountains and said curtly.

“Well, I’m… grateful for that. But if you keep showing off about it…!”

“I wasn’t showing off. I just thought it was admirable that you were digesting it well.”

At Sa Bigang’s words, Mae Seol-lan fell silent.

Really, this man’s mood changes dozens of times in a single day.

At times like this, he’s just like an older brother.

‘My goodness. What am I thinking?’

Mae Seol-lan shook her head and changed the subject.

“By the way, do you know that woman?”

“It’s difficult to answer.”

Sa Bigang had been glancing at the woman in black light armor from time to time.

She was definitely the woman he had met once at the inn when he went to get the accessories.

When coincidences pile up, they become inevitable.

Mae Seol-lan was certain that there was something between that woman and Sa Bigang.

And she was convinced her guess was right by Sa Bigang’s next words.

“That woman has business with me.”

“Then why is she acting like that? Is she being conscious of me?”

“Hehe. Why would she need to be conscious of you?”

“Well…”

‘Because I’m so pretty? Because she’d think of me as his girlfriend?’

Suddenly finding it difficult to answer, Mae Seol-lan subtly glared at Sa Bigang.

This man really knows how to ask difficult questions.

Sa Bigang shook his head.

“She’s not being conscious of you. She’s just… watching me. Trying to figure out what kind of person I am.”

“Who exactly is that woman?”

“If you’re curious, let’s go ask her.”

Sa Bigang suddenly stood up from his seat.

Mae Seol-lan looked at him with an “Huh?” expression.

But just then, three men approached the woman one step ahead of Sa Bigang.

‘Those guys?’

Mae Seol-lan looked at them with an incredulous expression.

Iron Sword Association, was it?

The Iron Sword Association wasn’t too far from Yongcheon Hall, so she had heard the name at least once.

It was a sect belonging to the Jeongdo Alliance and received much support among martial artists.

They were the ones who had approached her earlier, throwing flirtatious glances.

Of course, Mae Seol-lan had politely declined and sent them away.

Yet inwardly, she was disappointed in Sa Bigang.

Even when she was in a difficult situation, all he did was…

“You must be happy to be so popular.”

Just throw out those words carelessly!

At the very least, he could have stepped in to help send them away, but to speak so mockingly!

Anyway, those Iron Sword Association disciples were now approaching the woman in black light armor.

Just one step ahead of Sa Bigang.

The martial artist who had just reached the woman cupped his fists and said.

“Greetings. I am Feng Yun Jian (Wind Cloud Sword) Ho Jeong-gon, the senior disciple of the Iron Sword Association. Excuse me, but may I ask the heroine’s name?”

“If you know it’s rude, don’t ask.”

Mae Seol-lan, who was drinking water, almost spat it out.

‘Wow, she’s tough.’

To refuse so decisively like that.

Was it because he’d been rejected twice?

Or did the woman’s attitude seem too arrogant?

Finally, the martial artist standing next to Ho Jeong-gon twitched his thick eyebrows and said.

“Your words are harsh! When my senior brother is politely asking to exchange names, there’s no need to be like this!”

“I won’t say it twice. Get lost.”

A cold wind blew from the woman’s tone.

Finally, Ho Jeong-gon, who had been holding back, also glared.

“It seems I’m being made a fool of! Relying only on your pretty face, you’ve lost all fear!”

He shouted suddenly.

Mae Seol-lan frowned.

‘What? Those losers? They should just drink nicely and go back.’

That’s when it happened.

Sa Bigang, who had just watched when she was in trouble, this time tapped Ho Jeong-gon’s shoulder and said something.

“Could you move aside?”

“What are you?”

“Hey, are you also disrespecting the Iron Sword Association disciples?”

“The heroine said she doesn’t like it.”

“This bastard has been speaking informally from the start…!”

Thwack!

It happened in an instant.

The man hit by Sa Bigang’s fist fell over the second-floor railing of the tavern and dropped outside.

Ho Jeong-gon and his fellow disciple turned around in shock.

Thud thud!

Their eyes flashed.

The two men soon collapsed and rolled around on one side of the tavern.

Clutching their noses and mouths, they didn’t even think of getting up again and just groaned.

Everyone looked at Sa Bigang with shocked expressions.

However, despite the situation reaching that point, the woman didn’t even glance once.

She silently lifted her wine cup.

Just then, Sa Bigang suddenly grabbed that wine cup.

‘Gasp, what is that man doing now?’

Mae Seol-lan, who was sitting and watching, widened her eyes.

Only then did the woman look up at Sa Bigang.

Sa Bigang downed the wine cup in one gulp and grinned.

“Isn’t this enough to pass the test?”

The woman’s expression wavered for a moment.

Her gaze turned to the two martial artists collapsed on the floor.

“You’re quite bold. Against Iron Sword Association disciples.”

“Hehe. You know better than I do that those guys aren’t Iron Sword Association disciples.”

Sa Bigang deliberately spoke loudly.

Mae Seol-lan also widened her eyes, not understanding.

‘What is he talking about? They clearly said they were from the Iron Sword Association.’

But the conversation that followed was too distant to hear well.

Sa Bigang said with a still smiling face.

“Now, stop this and let’s go.”

The woman looked at him silently for a long time.

She finally asked.

“How did you know?”

“Because I’ve seen you before.”

“Just for that reason?”

“I also know where you belong and what you do.”

This time the woman was truly surprised.

Sa Bigang said as if enjoying her reaction.

“I have quite good intelligence, you see.”

Actually, that wasn’t the reason.

Sa Bigang had already seen her in his previous life.

General Manager Gu Yoon’s bodyguard, Biryeong.

That was her.

When he went to find the Yin-Yang Twin Ring Snake, he had wondered when he saw Biryeong.

But seeing her this time, he was certain.

‘Gu Yoon is watching me.’

He still didn’t know the reason.

But he could vaguely guess.

If Gu Yoon was trying to meet him directly, it would mean the future he had experienced had changed considerably.

Well.

He had even destroyed the Blood Death Alliance’s secret branch, so it would have been enough to draw curiosity.

Moreover, right now, he himself would be feeling disillusioned with the corruption of the Jeongdo Alliance.

Biryeong picked up her bamboo hat and stood up.

“Please follow me.”

“Before that, there’s someone who needs to come with us.”

Sa Bigang’s gaze turned to Mae Seol-lan sitting on one side.

***

‘This person is the General Manager of the Jeongdo Alliance.’

Mae Seol-lan stared intently at the man sitting across from her.

A man with delicate features and a slender build.

She had heard about Gu Yoon, but this was the first time she had actually seen him.

Sa Bigang had brought her along to follow the woman called “Biryeong.”

It was a shabby inn located on the outskirts of the village, and the fact that the General Manager was staying in such a place meant this meeting was that secret.

Gu Yoon was also thinking it was unexpected as he looked at Sa Bigang.

‘When I only received reports, I thought he’d be quite an eccentric…’

Wasn’t he a surprisingly normal-looking man?

Gu Yoon smiled gently.

“I’m pleased to meet you like this. The reason I wanted to meet Instructor Sa is…”

“External enemies? Internal enemies?”

Sa Bigang suddenly spoke up.

Gu Yoon’s expression wavered slightly.

Sa Bigang had immediately grasped the core issue.

‘This guy… what is he?’

According to Biryeong’s report, he had acted as if he knew she would come to find him.

Gu Yoon asked carefully.

“Did you know I would come?”

“I only guessed. Though I didn’t expect you to conduct such a clumsy test.”

He was referring to the Iron Sword Association disciples.

In fact, they weren’t Iron Sword Association disciples.

They were people Gu Yoon had planted to test Sa Bigang’s sense of justice.

He thought he should at least confirm that he was someone who wouldn’t stand by and watch injustice before considering him worth reaching out to.

But Sa Bigang had even seen through that fact.

‘Indeed, he’s not an easy person to deal with.’

Gu Yoon chuckled.

“Sometimes simple methods can be the most efficient, don’t you think?”

“So did my sense of justice pass?”

“Since you already knew the intention, that test would be invalid. However, I’ve become more interested in having a conversation with Instructor Sa.”

“So what’s the answer to my question?”

“Both. Internal enemies and external enemies.”

Gu Yoon shrugged and spoke honestly.

“Well, for now, it’s a total crisis.”

“But you come to me, whom you don’t even know well, to complain?”

“It’s the first time in my life. Taking a gamble following my heart instead of my head.”

Sa Bigang chuckled.

“Then that gamble of yours has succeeded.”