Until he emerged, the Hao Sect was nothing more than a motley crew of the underprivileged—pickpockets, thieves, gamblers, courtesans, inn servants—drifters who couldn’t even complain if they were beaten to death. They banded together to fight for their survival, forming a rabble of rogues unworthy even of the name ‘sect.’ They possessed only a few secret manuals stolen from somewhere, a pitiful fraction of gold scraped together coin by coin, and a camaraderie born of desperation.

However, starting a little over a decade ago when he first appeared, the Hao Sect’s situation completely inverted.

This man, claiming to possess neither a surname nor a proper identity, referring to himself merely as some nobody named Hui, transformed the Hao Sect into an untouchable dominion of darkness in just five short years.

Harboring deep-seated grudges, courtesans smuggled out every conceivable state secret using nothing but a few cups of wine pressed to their lips.

Thieves trained in martial arts swept through heavily guarded vaults, exposing and stealing every filthy secret locked within.

Gamblers formed sophisticated syndicates, reeling in massive targets one after another, and absolutely no one could escape the ever-watchful eyes of the tavern waiters.

Every single one of these revolutionary changes was orchestrated entirely by Hui’s sheer capability.

Armed with a mind overflowing with cunning stratagems and capital springing from an entirely unknown source, he methodically swallowed the Central Plains piece by piece. Within ten years, the gold flowing through the martial world and the intelligence scattered across the vast continent belonged entirely to him.

Hui did not stop there.

Relocating the Hao Sect’s base of operations—which had previously existed as a decentralized network of scattered cells—to Guangdong, he initiated massive trade operations. After another five years, there wasn’t a single soul in the underworlds of Haedong, Eastern Isles, Tianzhu, the Great Desert, or the Northern Sea who did not know his name.

The exceedingly rare few martial artists who had actually met him all shared the exact same sentiment, speaking his name with profound terror: 

[Hui can deduce the entire contents of a book merely by hearing a few lines.]

If the Sovereign of the Underworld Joo Cheon-oh represented ‘absolute martial supremacy capable of forging plausibility in any situation,’ then Hui, the Sect Leader of the Hao Sect, was the author’s ultimate ‘magic wand’.

Hui was essentially a narrative device utilized whenever the author needed someone to commit a drastic action, only to later blatantly insist, ‘Actually, I noticed everything from the very beginning! And I already prepared the perfect countermeasure!’

Because the author repeatedly utilized this exact same trick and framed it as a ‘plot twist’, it eventually reached the point where merely seeing Hui’s name mentioned in an episode allowed readers to effortlessly deduce everything that would follow.

Consequently, when reading The Returned Hero, Jeong Hayoon hadn’t particularly liked Hui.

He simply couldn’t.

How could anyone possibly like a supporting character who, right when the protagonist’s grand achievements were highly anticipated, would randomly appear, flash a cryptic smile, and declare, ‘I’ve already set the entire stage, so you just need to play along.’

Furthermore, the character arc where he initially debuted as an antagonist, only to suddenly pivot into an ally while muttering, “Huhu… What an intriguing person,” simply because the protagonist thwarted his schemes a few times, was utterly absurd.

And yet, seeing Hui for the very first time after arriving in this world…

What the… is he even human?

First and foremost, he was so stunningly beautiful his eyes practically bulged out of his skull. While Jeong Hayoon generally despised judging people solely by their appearance, he abruptly realized such principles only applied when the person in question was ‘moderately’ attractive.

All his previous distaste for the character instantly evaporated, replaced by a violently surging wave of absolute infatuation.

Had he been in his original body as Jeong Hayoon, and had his children not been injured, he undoubtedly would have been grinning like an absolute fool.

Hui’s exceptionally beautiful appearance was a trait mentioned repeatedly throughout the original novel. Perhaps the author had grown incredibly fond of the character, as they made sure to describe his looks every single time he appeared. However, the previous Jeong Hayoon had always found the constantly attached modifier “more beautiful than a woman” deeply irritating.

Beautiful is just beautiful; what exactly does ‘more beautiful than a woman’ even mean?

Perhaps that specific phrasing was another reason he hadn’t been able to fully appreciate the man before him while reading.

And now, having witnessed Hui firsthand, current Cho Yoon found that specific modifier even more unforgivable.

His luscious, cascading black hair was lavishly adorned with an assortment of precious jewels and metals, and his beautifully shaped lips were stained a vibrant crimson.

Following the application of meticulous, delicate makeup, he was draped in endless, overlapping layers of multi-colored silk. Exquisite rings carved from white jade and jasper adorned three of his fingers.

Furthermore, the sharp, claw-like nail guards—intricately sculpted from gold and ivory—protecting his ring and pinky fingers elevated his appearance into the realm of excessive, aggressive luxury.

And yet, there was absolutely no sense of awkwardness or vulgarity.

Hui suited the extravagance so perfectly it felt as though he had been born into this world draped in silk and heavy ornaments.

In a way, his inherent, profound nobility seemed to effortlessly suppress the ostentatious accessories, while simultaneously making him resemble a vividly colored, highly venomous butterfly flashing its warning colors.

Of course a character would turn out so wildly inconsistent if the author tried to forcefully categorize such a uniquely harmonized blend of distinct traits into overly simplified, generalized concepts of ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’.

Recalling the original novel’s Hui—who would abruptly act like an aggressive macho man in one chapter, only to suddenly transform into a delicate beauty evoking protective instincts in the next—Cho Yoon chuckled inwardly. He actually felt pity for an author who had managed to create a character with this much potential, only to squander it so pathetically.

Regardless, while he had momentarily marveled at the man’s beauty, Cho Yoon’s ultimate objective and resolve remained entirely unchanged. Furthermore, he couldn’t help but wonder why a character who had supposedly never stepped foot outside Guangdong Province in the original novel had suddenly appeared here in Sichuan.

As Cho Yoon assumed a formal, kneeling posture on the prepared cushion, the children hesitantly followed suit, settling onto their respective seats. It seemed Cheon-oh was the only one entirely unaffected by the presence of a beauty that defied all standard logic.

Facing Cho Yoon, who had yet to utter a single word, Hui smoothly picked up the conversation with effortless charm.

“There are exactly four reasons I invited the esteemed Great Hero here today. Firstly, to express my profound gratitude for the numerous ways you have assisted me. Secondly, to offer my sincerest apologies regarding the unfortunate incident that occurred recently, while simultaneously providing a comprehensive explanation as to why we were compelled to execute such a monumental operation.”

Rising slightly on his knees, Hui lifted the small tea table resting before him.

Instantly, the warrior who had escorted them inside stepped forward, gently taking the table from Hui’s hands and placing it directly in front of Cho Yoon.

He then placed a fresh cushion on the opposite side and, with practiced ease, lifted Hui and settled him onto the new seat.

Now sitting intimately close to Cho Yoon, Hui offered the warrior a soft, appreciative smile before lifting the teapot and gracefully tilting it over a teacup. His soft, lilting voice carefully betrayed a deeply harbored, long-standing anticipation.

“And lastly… I realized the esteemed Great Hero was currently traveling with someone I have been desperately searching for, and I simply had to meet her. It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you, Young Lady Lim.”

Staring at the pale green tea slowly filling the cup, Hui lifted his gaze and offered a dazzling, radiant smile.

Making direct eye contact with him, Sa-yeong violently flinched.

It was entirely understandable for anyone to panic when a stranger, especially one they were confronting in a highly antagonistic situation, suddenly beamed at them and declared they had been desperately searching for them.

And Cho Yoon found himself equally, profoundly bewildered.

What? Not Cheon-oh, but Sa-yeong? Why is she suddenly being brought up?

“For what purpose were you searching for my disciple?”

“Even while sitting perfectly still, rumors of the astonishing feats Young Lady Lim accomplished while in Guangdong Province constantly reached my ears. Piqued by curiosity, I had been closely observing her, so I was quite disappointed when she abruptly vanished one day. To think she had actually become the esteemed Great Hero’s disciple… Ah, please, have some tea.”

What? What exactly did Sa-yeong do in Guangdong Province?

Absentmindedly accepting the teacup Hui offered, Cho Yoon glanced back at Sa-yeong and was genuinely shocked.

Sa-yeong had her head bowed deeply, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.

Her face was flushed a violent, burning crimson, and her expression was a chaotic, agonizing mixture of absolute shame, profound embarrassment, and pure shock.

Cho Yoon had no idea what it was, but she had clearly done something monumental, and judging by her reaction, it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. However, he couldn’t exactly shoot a telepathic message interrogating a child who looked ready to die of embarrassment just from a passing mention.

Ultimately yielding no answers, Cho Yoon turned his gaze back to Hui, his mind swirling with complex theories.

Guangdong Province? Well, Guangdong is where I first met Sa-yeong and Sa-hyeon. I did save Sa-hyeon when he was almost beaten to death by those subhuman martial artists. Is he referring to the altercation we had with them?