Absolute Regression

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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Chapter 225: A Special Guest Will Arrive Today

The next morning, before setting off, I went to see the Evil Smiling Demon.

“What brings you here?”

“We’ll be going to the Sky Flower Pavilion, just you and me.”

Since the relationship between Soma and the Pavilion Mistress was a personal matter, I believed it was a secret that needed to be kept.

However, the Evil Smiling Demon responded unexpectedly.

“There’s no need for that. Let’s all go together and proceed as originally planned.”

“There’s no need to do something that makes you uncomfortable. We can have Advisor Go and the others assist from the outside.”

“That’s not the reason.”

There was an unexpected reason for his suggestion to go together.

“I want to introduce these people to the Pavilion Mistress.”

The Poison King, Seo Daeryong, Gowol, and even the former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

“Yeo Jeong is a person with great ambition. However, because of me, she’s held back from doing many things she wanted. Meeting and interacting with these people will greatly benefit her.”

I could tell that Soma truly cared for her. Moreover, it was clear that he regarded her with a deep affection beyond mere concern. 1

“And most importantly, aren’t they people you trust, Young Master? So, it’s fine.”

I thought the Evil Smiling Demon’s decision was wise. There are times when it’s better to keep things hidden, and other times when it’s better to let them come out into the world. In this case, it was the latter. At least, I didn’t think anyone in our group would cause problems for the Pavilion Mistress. We made our decision with a shared smile.

As I left Soma’s residence and headed to the courtyard, Gowol was busy loading the luggage into the carriage, preparing for our departure. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, judging by the troubled look on his face.

“Advisor Go, don’t overthink it and enjoy yourself. As a strategist, you’ll be making countless plans throughout your life, but having me, Soma, and the Poison King execute your plans isn’t something that happens often. So, enjoy this situation.”

Gowol showed a grateful expression and bowed his head. Standing next to him, Jeong Dae couldn’t resist a jealous remark.

“You always score points with a single word, while I need a hundred.”

“Trust in Advisor Go. I’ll give him one point and grant you a hundred, Cult Leader.”

After comforting my one and only advisor and his lifelong friend, I called out loudly.

“Alright, let’s go!”

* * *

It was an opulently decorated room.

The specially crafted bed was large enough for ten people to lie down with room to spare, and the furniture filling the vast space was made by master craftsmen, all expensive and precious pieces. The ceramics and paintings that adorned the room were impressive, and even the doorknobs were extravagantly costly, enough to astonish anyone.

In this large and splendid room, about a dozen women were kneeling. They wore thin garments that revealed their skin, their ages varied, and their beauty diverse, however, their expressions were the same.

Despair.

They gazed down at the floor with eyes filled with all the despair in the world. 2

In the center, flanked by the kneeling women, sat Lü Bugai. His hair was white, his face deeply wrinkled, but his eyes still radiated the passion of a young man.

Lü Bugai was reading a letter.

Not long after the death of Jisaeng, news had arrived that Aechak was now dead too.

His wrinkled hands tightly clenched the letter, crumpling it, and then threw it at the head of one of the women. She picked up the fallen letter and burned it in the lamp.

“What do you think of this?”

In response to his question, Hwangyeom, who was seated directly in front of him, answered respectfully.

“They didn’t show it outwardly, but those were the people who subtly looked down on us for dealing in women.”

In short, she was saying that they deserved to die, though she expressed it indirectly. Hwangyeom was Lü Bugai’s right-hand woman and knew her master better than anyone else.

Indeed, Lü Bugai felt the same.

The deceased Jisaeng and Aechak were insignificant people with inflated egos who frequently disrespected others. He had never seen them greet him first. Thus, what concerned him more than their deaths was this:

“You mean to say, could it have been an attack from outside?”

“It would be best to rule out that possibility.”

“Why?”

“According to the investigation, it’s confirmed that they died due to internal conflict. The higher-ups must have been on high alert during the investigation—if someone were skilled enough to deceive them, could we even survive?”

The wrinkles on Lü Bugai’s forehead deepened.

“Are you uneasy?”

“The next target could be me.” 3

He was unaware that all the women bowing beside him shared a single hope hidden in their gazes: that he would be next! 4

“Just in case, I will summon all the masters we can mobilize.”

Lü Bugai nodded. He often joked in his usual manner:

“Even the Lord of Hell wouldn’t accept me. He’d say I’d dirty up Hell.”

But that was a joke he made only when he was sure he wouldn’t die. Now that he sensed danger, he reacted to the prospect of death more sensitively than anyone else.

“Just in case… contact the Yin-Yang Specters as well.”

At the mention of the Yin-Yang Specters, Hwangyeom flinched but soon responded obediently.

“Understood.”

In the past, this would have required a few more words. Moving those individuals costs a lot of money, and if they were unleashed in the martial world, it could lead to trouble. The higher-ups wouldn’t like that either. But now, it was convenient to skip such deliberations.

Hwangyeom knew him so well now that it felt like he had an extra body. For instance, with just a glance from him, she could pick out the woman he had chosen from among dozens.

“I’m not afraid of dying, but I haven’t fulfilled my dream yet.”

Lü Bugai’s dream was to establish his courtesan houses all across the Central Plains. 5

He had used every conceivable method to expand his courtesan empire throughout the region. He built some himself, and others he seized from their original owners.

Various tactics were employed in this process—from sending agents to cause chaos, spreading false rumors, lacing food with drugs to sicken patrons, and even setting the rival courtesan houses on fire.

One might wonder if such crude methods could really work, but surprisingly, they were the most effective. He tarnished reputations to eliminate competing houses or bought them at rock-bottom prices. Seeing courtesan house owners driven to suicide during this process gave Lü Bugai a perverse thrill.

“Live ruthlessly and achieve your dream. Here, this is all the information concerning the next targeted location.”

Hwangyeom handed over some documents. They contained information about the Sky Flower Pavilion. As the most renowned courtesan house in Guizhou, where they planned to expand, they had decided to start by taking over Sky Flower Pavilion.

As Lü Bugai reviewed the content, his eyes gleamed with greed.

“The projected profits are enormous.”

“It’s the most lucrative place in the Central Plains, surpassing any location we currently own.”

“Are the courtesans beautiful?”

“Yes, and the owner of the Sky Flower Pavilion is known for their exceptional management skills.”

“It’s a woman, right?”

“That’s correct. She manages the courtesans well, caters to the patrons excellently, and even the martial artists under her command respect her.”

“She’s just a worthless woman.” 6

His disdain for women was ingrained in his nature. Hwangyeom speculated that perhaps Lü Bugai had suffered severe abuse from his mother or another woman during his childhood. It was clear that his pathological lust wasn’t born from affection but from hatred.

“How about her beauty?”

“I’ve heard she’s quite beautiful.”

Lü Bugai’s eyes drooped lazily as he revealed his lust. His gaze turned toward the women around him. These women were once all mistresses of various courtesan houses. The world believed them to be missing or dead.

They were women who, seemingly overnight, handed over their courtesan houses to Lü Bugai and vanished. No matter how hard their families and friends searched, they were never found.

Lü Bugai had been kidnapping and collecting the most beautiful of the courtesan mistresses from the houses he had taken over. It was a heinous crime that would incite public outrage, but the truth had never reached the outside world, and even if someone did know, no one dared to confront Lü Bugai. 7

“Now the balance will be just right.”

There were nine women, meaning that with the addition of Yeo Jeong, there would be ten.

Hwangyeom nodded reassuringly, signaling that she would deliver the Pavilion Mistress to Lü Bugai’s chambers once their work was complete.

“The Black and White Twin Blades have already been dispatched.”

The Black and White Twin Blades were Lü Bugai’s personal enforcers, individuals unknown in the martial world. Though their martial skills were formidable, they were trained from a young age to be ruthless executioners who strictly followed orders without a hint of personal emotion.

In the case of Sky Flower Pavilion, where clumsy tactics would not work, the Twin Blades were sent directly.

Their plan was to kidnap the Pavilion Mistress and force her to stamp a contract, just as they had done with the nine women present.

“Make sure to bring her here without laying a finger on her!”

That was the constant worry of the ever-lustful old man.

* * *

“A special guest will arrive today.”

From early morning, Yeo Jeong, the Pavilion Mistress of Sky Flower, had her quarters and the inner garden cleaned. She put extra effort into her makeup and dressed more carefully than usual.

The maids and attendants moved diligently.

They knew from experience that whenever the Pavilion Mistress announced an important guest was coming, someone would indeed arrive that day. Initially, they assumed it was because she had received advance notice, but after witnessing many surprise visitors, they recognized that the Pavilion Mistress was no ordinary person.

However, today, it seemed she might be wrong.

The people who stepped into the inner garden were not esteemed guests, but uninvited ones.

It was the Black and White Twin Blades, dressed in their black and white robes, who had barged in.

Yeo Jeong quickly ushered her attendants inside, and at the same moment, the martial artists guarding the inner garden revealed themselves.

Though the Sky Flower Pavilion had superior numbers, the Black and White Twin Blades were not intimidated at all. In fact, their overwhelming aura cast a tense shadow over the faces of the Sky Flower Pavilion’s martial artists.

The Pavilion Mistress of Sky Flower calmly asked, “Who might you be?”

The Black Blade, dressed in black, responded in a cold and blunt tone, devoid of any emotion, as if a child or a wooden doll were speaking. “Our master wishes to see you. Come with us.”

“And who is your master?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

“I’m sorry, but a special guest is coming today, so we’ll have to postpone this to another time.”

Of course, such words held no sway over the Black and White Twin Blades.

“There is no one more important than our master.” 8

With that, the two stepped forward. Four of the eight martial artists standing guard in front of the Pavilion Mistress leapt into action, while the remaining four surrounded her.

Swords and blades clashed swiftly.

The martial artists who had long protected Sky Flower Pavilion found themselves rapidly outmatched by the Black and White Twin Blades.

Barely ten exchanges had passed before two of the charging martial artists fell, slashed deeply across their arms and waists.

As the Black and White Twin Blades raised their swords to deliver killing blows, Yeo Jeong threw herself in front of them.

“If you want to kill them, you’ll have to kill me first!”

Since their mission was only to take her, the Black and White Twin Blades lowered their swords emotionlessly.

She quickly pressed the pressure points of the injured, staunching their bleeding.

“Stay here, tend to your wounds, and wait for me. I will go and return.”

“No, Pavilion Mistress!”

The other martial artists tried to intervene, but she firmly stopped them.

“Everyone, stand down!”

Her command made the martial artists halt. They all knew that continuing to fight would lead to a meaningless death. Since the founding of Sky Flower Pavilion, this was the first time such formidable opponents had invaded.

“If you were to lose your lives needlessly here, I would carry that regret for the rest of my life, unable to live properly. Withdraw and protect the Pavilion. When our honored guest arrives today, you can inform them of what has happened.” 9

She dismissed the martial artists and approached the Black and White Twin Blades. She showed no fear.

Her calm demeanor made the Black and White Twin Blades glance at each other with dead eyes, feeling the barest of puzzlement. They had kidnapped many women before, but they had never encountered one as composed as her.

The Pavilion Mistress of Sky Flower looked directly at the two.

“I am good at reading people’s futures. But your futures are so dark, like pitch black tar, that I can’t see a thing.”

The Black and White Twin Blades stared indifferently at her and began to approach.

Just as Black Blade reached out to seize her pressure point, a swift gust of wind shot in like a beam of light. 10

*Whiz! Thud!*

The sudden attack pierced through the back of Black Blade’s hand, leaving a gaping hole.

As he let out a short scream and tried to stop the bleeding—

*Whiz! Thud!*

—his other arm, the one attempting to staunch the blood, was pierced through the elbow.

“Ugh!”

Black Blade instinctively crouched.

*Whiz! Thud!*

This time, his shoulder was struck. The attack was so fast that he couldn’t evade it.

As he turned towards the direction the attack had come from, more gusts shot toward him in rapid succession.

His abdomen, waist, and knees were pierced one after another. The relentless assault shredded his body.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Black Blade screamed in agony, as if letting out a lifetime of suppressed cries.

*Whiz! Thud!*

Finally, his forehead was pierced, and he collapsed instantly, his unfinished scream dying in his throat.

The gusts had flown so rapidly and consecutively that nobody could react. Even White Blade, caught completely off guard, could only blankly watch Black Blade’s death unfold.

Only then did everyone’s gaze shift to the origin of the attack. A bright smile appeared on Yeo Jeong’s lips.

Walking toward them with steady steps was the Evil Smiling Demon, wearing his white mask.

1 : And she truly cares for you too ^ ^
2 : Letting them take revenge on him will be the best death for that a**hole.
3 : This rat has good instincts.
4 : Don’t worry girls, karma will free you soon ^ ^
5 : Strange to think he has the same dream as Yeo Jeong, except that they use very different methods to reach it.
6 : Am I the only one who had the reflex of blurting ‘Fuck you’ aloud ? How the hell has this retarded inbred of limp dicked misogynist not died from ass cancer while furiously masturbating to his own degenerate picture of fake masculinity ? ….Cough, sorry about that. I read a new novel in my free time recently, and there is this lineage of trash young masters who act the exact same way about women in there, so I just snapped when I found that trash talk here too. Siiighhh, when you think there are so many people like that IRL, urrrgh. Like, grow a brain already. Seriously. And again, sorry for the rant.
7 : The dark truth about collecting Pokemons…..
8 : Again, fuck you. That said, those guys act more like robots than humans. They probably lack emotions from being raised as weapons since childhood.
9 : This is the greatest difference between Yeo Jeong and Lü Bugai. She obtained the loyalty of her subordinates by using respect and compassion, while he obtained theirs through coercion, violence and fear. Hence why Yeo Jeong subordinates are ready to die for her, while those of the Rat King will betray him as soon as they have a chance.
10 : *I Need A Hero starts playing*