Episode 167: Return to the Demonic Sect

“Hmm… there it is.”

Sabikang gazed at the distant structure of Bieungak.

It was the last place left to check.

The night before, the cadets had scoured the entire estate, reporting anything remotely suspicious to Sabikang.

He had narrowed down the most suspicious locations to three.

Two of them had already been checked.

Nothing.

At least, they weren’t secret rooms for hiding gold bars.

“Only that place remains…”

Bieungak was the library of the Dongbang family.

It housed all sorts of books, including martial arts manuals.

According to the investigation, Bieungak was built about five years ago.

It was Jo Muntak who discovered a secret room there.

“When you enter Bieungak, you’ll find rows of bookshelves. But if you go all the way to the back, there’s a small door. It’s hidden by the shelves, but if you look closely, you can see it. Two guards are always stationed there. That secret room seems suspicious.”

Among the cadets, Jo Muntak was the most skilled in stealth and light-footed movement.

He had managed to sneak in while the guards were changing shifts.

“I can’t afford to come up empty-handed this time.”

As Sabikang approached the entrance of Bieungak, the guards greeted him warmly.

“Hello, Chief. What brings you here?”

“Oh, just taking a look around the estate. What is this place?”

“This is the library.”

“I see. Mind if I take a look inside?”

“Of course not.”

The guards smiled brightly and stepped aside to let Sabikang enter.

“They’re certainly friendly. They must want to show they have nothing to hide.”

An ordinary person might have been swayed by such hospitality and developed a fondness for the family head.

But Sabikang already knew everything about him.

Including the fact that his secret room was filled with gold bars.

“I will find it.”

Sabikang strode confidently into Bieungak.

The scent of paper and ink filled the air.

He casually examined the densely packed bookshelves, moving deeper inside, until he saw, just as Jo Muntak had described, two guards standing there.

Behind them, a bookshelf was set up, and as Jo Muntak had said, a small door was visible if you looked closely.

“There it is.”

He walked over naturally.

Unlike the guards outside, these two didn’t greet him.

Sabikang picked a book at random and loitered near the small door, glancing at it.

“Do you have business here?”

One of the guards asked gruffly, clearly annoyed by Sabikang’s lingering presence.

Sabikang smiled amiably.

“Not really. I just find it curious that there’s a door here. Could you tell me what’s inside?”

The guards exchanged a brief look before turning back to Sabikang.

The one who had spoken first replied.

“Sorry, but we can’t disclose that to outsiders.”

“Hmm. You might not know, but I’m the Chief Inspector from the League. My name is Sabikang.”

“Apologies, but we cannot tell you.”

The guards remained cold and unyielding.

Sabikang frowned slightly and shook his head.

“Ah, you people are so inflexible. Being refused right to my face is starting to get on my nerves.”

The guards’ expressions hardened.

“Please leave.”

“And if I refuse? I’m quite curious to see what’s inside.”

“No matter your rank, if you persist, we may have to use force.”

The guards slowly moved their hands to their waists.

Sabikang chuckled coldly.

“Are you planning to draw your swords?”

“This is your final warning. Leave.”

The guards partially unsheathed their swords, ready to draw them fully if necessary.

“Masters of their craft.”

Sabikang quickly assessed their skills.

This was definitely suspicious.

They hadn’t stationed many guards to avoid drawing attention, but the fact that these guards were highly skilled meant this was no ordinary place.

“Jo Muntak might have been right.”

But there was no way in yet.

Forcing his way in could be problematic if he was wrong.

And he couldn’t just walk away.

Just then, a voice interrupted.

“What’s all this commotion?”

It was Ha Taesang’s voice.

Sabikang turned, delighted.

“Ah, perfect timing, Master Ha!”

Ha Taesang noticed the guards with their swords partially drawn and raised an eyebrow.

“You fools! How dare you show such disrespect to the Chief!”

The guards, though they might have felt wronged, sheathed their swords and bowed their heads.

Ha Taesang turned to Sabikang with an apologetic expression.

“Did my subordinates offend you in any way?”

“Oh, they were very rude! They glared at me and drew their swords, threatening to gouge out my eyes if I took another step! They even said they’d use my eyes for marbles! I almost ended up blind right here!”

Sabikang exaggerated, spitting out his words, while the guards looked on in disbelief.

Ha Taesang, momentarily taken aback, quickly scolded the guards.

“Is that true?”

“Apologies, but the eyes…”

“Silence! Do you even know who this man is?”

Sabikang interjected again.

“They should have known. I told them I was the Chief Inspector! And they said they’ve always wanted to gouge out the Chief Inspector’s eyes!”

“Enough! Apologize to the Chief immediately!”

The guards bowed their heads and apologized without making excuses.

Yet Sabikang still seemed unsatisfied.

Ha Taesang tried to soothe him with kind words.

“They’re still young and inexperienced. Please forgive them. By the way, what brings you here? Are you looking for a specific book?”

“No, I was just browsing and got curious about what’s inside there. What is that place?”

“Haha. It’s nothing special. Just a storage area for odds and ends.”

“Hmm. It’s quite unusual to have guards for a place that stores odds and ends.”

“Hahaha. They’re not guarding the door. They’re stationed here to prevent intruders from entering Bieungak.”

Of course, Sabikang knew that was a lie.

If that were true, Jo Muntak wouldn’t have been able to sneak in last night without them noticing.

Sabikang nodded.

“I see. But wouldn’t it be difficult to access a storage area if it’s blocked by bookshelves like that?”

“Hmm…”

Ha Taesang paused, studying Sabikang.

Sabikang pretended to be distracted, looking elsewhere.

Ha Taesang chuckled softly.

“What is it you want to know?”

“I’m just curious. I can’t help it. I’m just curious about what’s inside.”

“Are you suspecting the main family of something…?”

“Suspecting? Have you done something to be suspected of?”

“Haha. Of course not. It’s just that you seem so fixated on that door…”

“As I said, I’m just curious. And those two guards have piqued my interest.”

Ha Taesang pondered for a moment.

After a brief silence, he spoke decisively.

“Alright. If you’re that curious, I’ll show you.”

“Hmm? Will you really?”

Sabikang asked, genuinely surprised.

If there were gold bars inside, it shouldn’t be this easy to access.

“Could it be another wild goose chase?”

While he was lost in thought, Ha Taesang gave orders to the guards.

“Open the door.”

The guards hesitated and looked at Ha Taesang.

“Master…?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said open the door.”

The guards exchanged glances, and Sabikang suddenly interjected, shouting.

“Hey! Are you defying the master’s orders? You insolent fools! Do you really intend to gouge out my eyes?”

In the end, the guards reluctantly stepped aside, moving the bookshelf and unlocking the door.

Ha Taesang, with his usual friendly smile, extended his hand.

“Please, go on in.”

“Hmm. Thank you.”

Inside the small door was a cramped space.

But…

“No gold bars here.”

Just as Ha Taesang had said, the room was filled with nothing but martial arts manuals.

There were manuals on orthodox techniques, but also on demonic and unorthodox arts.

“Damn, another wild goose chase.”

Sabigang felt a pang of disappointment, and Ha Taesang’s grin seemed to mock him, which only added to his irritation.

“Since you’re here, why not take a manual of your choice as a gift? They’re just copies anyway.”

“Well… I suppose I’ll pick one.”

“Please do.”

Ha Taesang smirked.

**

Thud!

A book slid across the floor, hitting the wall with a thump.

The cover tore open in the process.

Sabigang sighed.

“The place Muntak saw was just a storage for martial arts manuals. None of the three locations were what I was looking for.”

The students’ faces fell at Sabigang’s words.

Sabigang turned to Dan Lijeong.

“How was the village?”

Throughout the day, the students had scoured the village, searching for any hidden rooms.

But they found nothing suspicious.

“There wasn’t any place in the village that could be considered a secret room.”

“Hmm, this is starting to get on my nerves.”

Sabigang furrowed his brow, recalling Ha Taesang’s sly smile.

Just then, Gok Bo-ok suddenly asked a question.

“But what’s supposed to be in that secret room?”

“All sorts of corruption and deceit. In the form of gold bars.”

“What? Gold bars?”

The students exclaimed in surprise.

At that moment, Neung Soso cautiously raised her hand.

“Um… I think I might be able to find it.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“I’m going to ask.”

“Ask? Who?”

Sabigang frowned.

Ask? This wasn’t some outhouse you could just inquire about.

Could a place like that really be revealed just by asking?

But Neung Soso’s answer was enough to astonish Sabigang.

“I thought I might ask the sylphs.”