Chapter 34

They first took off their dirty clothes and washed themselves thoroughly. After combing their hair neatly and tidying up their attire, they went to see their master with Gong Hyeok-rin. Oh Tae-ryeong was dealing with Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who had no intention of leaving her quarters all day, with an annoyed expression.

"I'll let you know when Cheong-ra arrives, so please leave now."

"We don't know when the child will arrive, can't you lend me a seat for just a little while?"

"Cheong-ra is no longer a child. And it's not proper for unrelated men and women to stay together for long."

"Who in Moon Lake Sect cares about you and me being together anymore? If something had happened, it would have happened by now, but nothing has. Besides, everyone is too afraid of you to even mention it."

"Oh, you..."

Just as Oh Tae-ryeong, who was proficient not only in sword techniques but also in fist techniques, was about to clench her fist with an irritated face, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who had been arguing with his martial sister without regard for propriety, spotted Cheong-ra and abruptly stood up. He approached in an instant, using his lightness skill so that his clothes fluttered.

"You're back already? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Yeong-hyeon, who had lived as a bachelor for a long time and raised Cheong-ra like his own child, looked him over to see if he was injured anywhere. After that, he patted the shoulders of the other two as well, praising them for doing a good job. Geum-hye and Mu-gwang answered awkwardly.

"Thank you, Elder Baek Ri. However..."

Seeing that the disciples' expressions were not very bright, Oh Tae-ryeong, guessing that something had happened during the process of capturing the criminals, gestured.

"You must be tired from the long journey, so everyone sit down for now."

Since disciples often visited, there were usually several chairs in the masters' quarters, enough for everyone to sit.

Soon, Geum-hye, as the representative, explained what had happened. The suspicious woman named Mi-a who had approached Cheong-ra after they arrived in the city, Dang Ran-yeong appearing in that city as well and getting involved with Cheong-ra, capturing and handing over the criminals, and Mi-a eventually being brutally murdered.

Oh Tae-ryeong's face gradually hardened as she listened to the disciples' story. Yeong-hyeon sighed as he heard about his nephew's difficult journey. Gong Hyeok-rin also understood why Geum-hye had been hesitant to speak.

After the story was finished, Oh Tae-ryeong, who had been tapping the armrest of her chair while lost in thought, opened her mouth. The disciples waited for their master's words, looking slightly dejected.

"As I told Cheong-ra before, when I looked into what happened in Dragon Spring, several things that looked like bear fur were found in the warehouse of the inn that sold the Enlightened Mind Tea. However, the fur was too soft to be from a fully grown bear. Such fur was found in various places in the houses attacked by the spirit beast."

At this, Cheong-ra let out a low sigh. Only then did he guess what the golden bear had been carrying in its mouth. And it had felt completely lifeless.

"Did the people there capture a bear cub?"

"But when the Dragon Gate Sect inquired in detail, no one in Dragon Spring had captured a bear cub recently. So we can deduce this."

Oh Tae-ryeong said, striking the armrest of her chair forcefully.

"To prevent us from finding out more details about the Enlightened Mind Tea, someone disguised it as a spirit beast attack to kill the regular customers."

Cheong-ra could tell that everyone present was thinking of the same person simultaneously. Geum-hye, instead of acting rashly in front of their master, suppressed her anger and said,

"Isn't the Tang Clan proficient in both poisons and medicines? So they could certainly make something like the Enlightened Mind Tea..."

It was natural for those who cared about Cheong-ra to see Dang Ran-yeong as the mastermind, given how cruelly he had tormented him. No, even without that, all circumstances seemed clearly related to Dang Ran-yeong.

However, Cheong-ra, who had actually been harmed, thought differently.

"The Tang Clan is a legitimate member of the righteous faction. If you can't take responsibility for your words, don't carelessly mention things that haven't been confirmed."

When Oh Tae-ryeong spoke sternly, Geum-hye bowed her head. Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, furrowed his brow.

"It's full of things I don't understand. Let's say the incident in Dragon Spring has been resolved for now."

Even as he said this, Baek Ri Yeong-hyeon's eyes flashed with killing intent for a moment, as if he was very displeased with Dang Ran-yeong. However, he skillfully hid it and continued speaking in a calm tone.

"The identity of that woman Mi-a and the behavior of the criminals are too suspicious. Cheong-ra, did you notice anything strange while fighting with Dang Ran-yeong?"

"I..."

As everyone's gaze turned to him, Cheong-ra hesitated for a moment. But soon he honestly shared what he had felt.

"At least the woman named Mi-a didn't seem to be Dang Ran-yeong's person. The same goes for the criminals. Rather, they seemed to be hostile towards Dang Ran-yeong."

He wasn't saying this because he was fascinated by Dang Ran-yeong. Although he was drawn to Dang Ran-yeong because of his desires, Cheong-ra tried to objectively understand the situation apart from his personal feelings.

The person who sold the Enlightened Mind Tea, the criminals who attacked the sect's disciples and fled after consuming it. The woman Mi-a who appeared in the city where they chased the criminals. Because of Mi-a, he incurred the enmity of Namgung Hyeon-sang, and encountered assassins sent by Namgung Hyeon-sang where they chased the criminals. Cheong-ra explained this and said,

"Master, all these incidents are organically connected. There must be the same entity behind all these incidents."

Cheong-ra, who had directly experienced all these situations, felt that the mastermind behind the seller of the Enlightened Mind Tea, the woman named Mi-a, and the criminals of Moon Lake Sect were all part of the same force.

And Dang Ran-yeong was present at each of those places. From a different perspective, he had prepared the corpse of the dead cub to prevent more spirit beasts from appearing, and his close associate Hwan-hong had cornered the woman named Mi-a. Also, it could be seen that he had helped by capturing and presenting the criminals who were difficult for Cheong-ra, Geum-hye, and Mu-gwang to apprehend.

Above all, the look in Dang Ran-yeong's eyes as he gazed at them. In the gaze directed at Mi-a and the criminals of Moon Lake Sect, Cheong-ra could glimpse intense killing intent flashing for a moment.

From his perspective, Dang Ran-yeong seemed to be trying to hinder them as much as possible...

Oh Tae-ryeong, who had listened carefully to Cheong-ra's words, asked in a stern voice.

"Cheong-ra, are you saying that there is a force that orchestrated all of this? According to your words, it means that this force has some purpose for our sect and has infiltrated a spy."

"I apologize for speaking rashly, Master. I have no particular evidence. It's just my intuition."

Cheong-ra bit his lip. Should he also mention the shameful deal Dang Ran-yeong had proposed to him? The fact that he had dined at his mansion and that the other party had practically gotten a hold of his weakness?

However, due to the strong fear of revealing his ugly desires, Cheong-ra couldn't tell everything that had happened with Dang Ran-yeong. So he couldn't even know if he was viewing this situation objectively.

Oh Tae-ryeong's gaze, staring intently at him, was so intense that Cheong-ra unknowingly lowered his head. Fortunately, instead of pressing her disciple about whether there was anything else he was hiding, Oh Tae-ryeong simply nodded.

"Yes, sometimes intuition can be the strongest evidence. I will carefully consider your opinion and report it to the Sect Leader."

"...Thank you, Master!"

Cheong-ra's face brightened as he expressed his gratitude. He was sorry for not being able to tell everything and at the same time grateful that she believed in him. Watching this, Gong Hyeok-rin thought.

'As expected, Master is weak to Cheong-ra.'

And he too carefully remembered the story he had heard today, mulling it over. Oh Tae-ryeong suggested a meal for the disciples who had returned after their hardships. They shared the food that the Moon Lake Sect's cook had prepared lavishly and chatted warmly. As the sun set, they returned to their respective quarters, laid down their tired bodies, and sought deep sleep.

Perhaps because he was exhausted from the journey, even Cheong-ra, who rarely slept well, was able to fall asleep quickly, not even an hour had passed. He woke up because he suddenly heard a commotion. Cheong-ra, who didn't usually fall into deep sleep, got up from his bed with a clear face as if he hadn't been asleep at all. After tidying his disheveled hair and putting on his outer clothes neatly, he went out to find the Hall of Righteous Governance brightly lit.

Sensing something unusual, Cheong-ra hurried towards it. Gong Hyeok-rin, who seemed to have just woken up like Cheong-ra with his clothes in disarray, and Mo So-rip, the Hall Master of the Hall of Righteous Governance, were having a serious conversation. Cheong-ra quickly approached and greeted them first.

"Hall Master, Great Senior Brother. What's the matter?"

"Junior Brother Baek Ri."

As he said this, Gong Hyeok-rin's face showed a perplexed and dismayed expression as he looked at Cheong-ra. He asked for permission to speak from the Hall Master of the Hall of Righteous Governance, and Mo So-rip nodded. At that, Gong Hyeok-rin told Cheong-ra the truth.

"I've been told that all the criminals died just a while ago."