Chapter 71

After entrusting the safety of the escort company's members to No Daewoong, Yu Shinun immediately brought Tang Harin and Zhuge Jun to his office. He then ordered that no one was to approach until further notice.

“……”

A considerable amount of time passed, but the room remained filled with a calm silence. Yu Shinun simply stared intently at the two without saying a word. The distance that had closed between them after passing through the Ten Thousand Illusions Cave and experiencing the incident at the Heavenly Eye Pavilion now seemed much farther than before.

‘Ah! I’m about to die.’

Zhuge Jun, unable to meet their eyes, was drenched in cold sweat down his back. Although he thought Yu Shinun was an extraordinary being after his performance in the Ten Thousand Illusions Cave, that was a complete misunderstanding. Who would have known that he could display such overwhelming divine power? Even in the battle against the Southern River, it wasn’t to this extent. Could he have grown stronger during the fight?

Tap, tap.

After deep contemplation, Yu Shinun, who had been tapping his fingers on the desk, finally opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to reintroduce yourselves. I’ve already heard everything about your true identities.”

With Yu Shinun taking the initiative to speak, Tang Harin and Zhuge Jun, who had been waiting quietly, bowed their heads.

“…First, I sincerely apologize.”

Yu Shinun shook his head.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

Despite their covert infiltration, Yu Shinun’s expression showed no particular emotion. Tang Harin and Zhuge Jun, who had expected him to be furious, were only bewildered.

At that moment, Zhuge Jun tentatively asked,

“…Perhaps you already knew?”

Yu Shinun shrugged at Zhuge Jun’s words.

“Didn’t you already suspect it?”

“Ha! Really? When did you, or how did you figure it out?”

“On the day you took the exam. The method I used to notice… let’s just say it’s a natural talent.”

Despite knowing that the two were from the martial arts alliance and were scions of a massive family far surpassing the White Cloud Escort Company, Yu Shinun still addressed them informally as if they were his subordinates. However, the two did not find this presumptuous or uncomfortable. On the contrary, it felt as if Yu Shinun was considerate of them.

Just as the two were becoming even more complex in their feelings,

“Why did you reveal your true identities, which you had hidden so well? Was it to protect your comrade, Qing Shui Daozhang?”

This time, Yu Shinun asked the question.

‘There was no need to reveal your true identities.’

In fact, Yu Shinun had not expected Tang Harin to tear off her mask and reveal her true identity.

Therefore, Yu Shinun thought the reason for her sudden revelation was either to save the alliance members or

“Or did you intend to make me owe you a debt?”

He thought it was to make him owe her a debt.

However,

Tang Harin gave an unexpected answer.

“No. The fate of such a hypocrite, who is blinded by wealth, is of no concern to me. In fact, his death would be beneficial to the martial world. And it’s not to make the Duke owe me a debt. I stepped in… for the Duke.”

‘For me?’

Yu Shinun tilted his head, as he found it hard to understand her words.

“What do you mean?”

Yu Shinun asked again, and Tang Harin continued.

“…If I hadn’t stopped you, the Duke would have certainly beheaded that man.”

Yu Shinun thought for a moment and then nodded.

He was indeed in a state of extreme anger. If Tang Harin hadn’t stopped him, his sword would have not only beheaded Qing Shui Daozhang but also all the Yellow Mountain Sect disciples.

‘Did you really intend to kill everyone?’

Zhuge Jun, reading from Yu Shinun’s nod that he had intended to kill everyone, was chilled to the bone.

To dare to wage war against one of the Nine Great Sects for the sake of a subordinate.

How could he not be surprised?

Tang Harin continued,

“Qing Shui Daozhang, I know he is a hopeless human being. But the fact that he holds a significant position in the alliance cannot be ignored. If the Duke had beheaded him… we would not have been able to prevent the subsequent measures taken by the alliance.”

She stepped in truly for Yu Shinun’s sake.

Regardless of the reason, if Yu Shinun had massacred the Yellow Mountain Sect’s elders and disciples, the martial arts alliance would not have remained idle. The evil deeds committed by Qing Shui Daozhang would have been buried, and the alliance would immediately convene an execution squad to send to Hangzhou to protect its authority. The alliance’s warriors would have killed not only Yu Shinun but also everyone in the White Cloud Escort Company.

But,

‘…It’s a pointless worry, though.’

Of course, if that had happened, the outcome would have been entirely different from her concerns. If he exerted his full strength, no one could stand against him.

However, as she said, it would not be a good direction to take at this point to become enemies with the martial arts alliance.

‘I need to weed out the spies in the martial arts alliance soon.’

Thinking this, Yu Shinun glanced at Tang Harin’s eyes.

‘It seems to be true.’

Her eyes contained no trace of deceit.

“Understood. Then I have three more questions.”

“…Anything.”

“Why did you suddenly claim to be the benefactor of the Tang family and try to flatter me?”

At Yu Shinun’s words, Tang Harin tilted her head for the first time and spoke.

“Because it’s true. If it weren’t for the Duke, I would have met my end in the Ten Thousand Illusions Cave or the Heavenly Eye Pavilion.”

Yu Shinun was intrigued by Tang Harin’s words, which acknowledged her debt to him, discarding the pride of a martial arts family.

‘They say that even if a knife is at their throat, the Tang family will clearly settle their debts. It’s not just a saying.’

“Then, the second question, why did you infiltrate the White Cloud Escort Company?”

Tang Harin looked at Zhuge Jun. She needed to reveal a fact that she had not reported to the alliance.

Nod.

Zhuge Jun nodded, indicating his willingness to share the responsibility and potential reprimand.

“…I will speak frankly. I suspected the Duke of being the culprit behind the series of disappearances in Zhejiang Province.”

Yu Shinun’s expression showed surprise at Tang Harin’s unexpected words.

‘They were chasing the traces of the Blood Sect.’

His involvement had changed the future. The martial arts alliance would only learn about the series of disappearances after all the events had concluded and the masterminds were unknown.

Yu Shinun then asked his final question.

“Last one. Why did you stop suspecting me as the culprit?”

After a moment of thought, Tang Harin spoke in a low voice.

“The one who covers himself in black sand to protect his subordinates, who enters the Thousand Ice Water to protect his subordinates, and who engages in a life-or-death battle with the Yellow Mountain Sect’s elders for his subordinates. It’s impossible to think of such a person as the culprit. And…”

She hesitated for a moment.

“…intuition.”

‘Huh?’

“Intuition.”

She completed her sentence.

Zhuge Jun was taken aback by her words. He had never expected her, who was always meticulous, to say such a thing.

Yu Shinun carefully observed her expression to see if she was being sincere.

As always, her icy expression contained no trace of deceit.

‘What a funny kid.’

He chuckled.

“It’s not a bad answer.”

In the end, Yu Shinun smiled, which slightly eased the tense atmosphere.

Then, Zhuge Jun tentatively spoke.

“We will report to our superiors immediately, so the Yellow Mountain Sect will not act rashly.”

“The Yellow Mountain Sect is not a concern.”

“Pardon?”

‘…I have already decided to end them.’

Yu Shinun did not elaborate further. He then changed the topic.

“However, it seems our connection will not end here.”

“Pardon?”

The two, who were about to leave with a promise to keep the secret of the series of disappearances, were puzzled by Yu Shinun’s sudden words.

“The series of disappearances you mentioned. I was already investigating it before you.”

“…!”

Yu Shinun’s unexpected words shocked the two.

“Jinmei Hu and Liu Jinxiang were deeply involved in the case, and I have already identified the culprit after a long investigation.”

“Do you know the entire story?”

Yu Shinun nodded.

At that moment, Tang Harin and Zhuge Jun looked at each other. They had called Yu Shinun an ally to deceive Qing Shui Daozhang, but fatefully, it had become true.

The two earnestly asked Yu Shinun,

“Can we hear it?”

Yu Shinun, who had been observing them carefully, said,

“Once you know the truth, there’s no going back. Will you not regret it?”

“Yes.”

“Not at all.”

The two answered without hesitation.

Yu Shinun quietly nodded at their response.

“Then there’s a place we need to go.”

A short while later.

In the deep of night, under the cover of darkness, three figures quietly slipped out of the White Cloud Escort Company.

Part 2

Xiaoshan, located southeast of Hangzhou.

Not far from there stood a mountain that had become a place of dread, where no one dared to tread. Once a verdant mountain frequented by the villagers, it had become known as Gui Mountain after rumors spread that those who entered never returned and that the cries of women could be heard at night.

Deep within the treacherous Gui Mountain, a group of people moved in a line.

Dressed in black robes to blend into the darkness, they were pulling a covered cart into a hidden cave.

“Huuu!”

Suddenly, a pained groan came from the cart, and a bony arm emerged from the lifted cloth.

Swoosh!

A flash of moonlight.

Squish! Thud!

The arm was severed and fell to the ground. One of the black-robed men had drawn his sword without any emotional disturbance, picked up the severed arm, and threw it back into the cart. He then resumed his movement as if nothing had happened.

However, none of them noticed that the three comrades pulling the last cart had been swiftly killed and replaced by others.

Martial World Family Reborn Expert