Cho Yoon knew this—or rather, Jeong Hayoon, who had read the original work, did.
The revelation that the supposedly orthodox martial families were covertly funneling manpower and immense gold as tribute to the Demonic Cult in exchange for even greater power was the first major plot twist of The Returned Hero, and a classic trope in martial arts novels.
The factions that made up the White Chivalry Alliance, including the Namgung Clan, who were more fervent than anyone else in advocating for the complete eradication of the Demonic Cult, were secretly bound to the cult through illicit and underground deals.
Their audacious and self-righteous crusade of ‘purging the demonic’—a ruthless hunt for and framing of innocent families akin to rats—was nothing more than a superficial smokescreen to obscure the truth.
After the protagonist successfully rebuilt the Mount Hua Sect alongside Guyang Seon, he publicly exposed this horrific truth.
In an instant, the Namgung Clan was branded as the absolute public enemy of the martial world, sparking a catastrophic war.
The orthodox forces needed to rapidly annihilate the Namgung Clan in the eastern reaches of Anhui Province before reinforcements could arrive from the Demonic Cult stationed in the far western edges of the Central Plains. However, the sheer power the Namgung Clan had amassed through decades of corrupt methods was terrifyingly formidable.
Utilizing everything from extreme elixirs that forcibly burned a human’s innate qi to temporarily multiply their internal energy fivefold, to deploying Blood Corpses, Iron Corpses, and vicious black magic, the Namgung Clan miraculously survived the combined onslaught of the entire martial world.
Then, brilliantly exploiting their cornered situation, they launched a devastating counteroffensive alongside the Demonic Cult, crushing the Central Plains from both sides simultaneously.
This marked the climax and the ultimate crisis leading into Part 5 of The Returned Hero.
The protagonist desperately fought tooth and nail across multiple battlefields, slowly and painstakingly turning the tides of the hopelessly bleak war. It was precisely during this chaotic war that Tang Woon-geum would be poisoned and carried to Cho Yoon’s doorstep.
Regardless, the shocking revelation that the White Chivalry Alliance factions, including the Namgung Clan and the Mount Hua Sect, were secretly conspiring with the Demonic Cult was a monumental plot twist, implying that no one was supposed to be aware of it yet.
When the protagonist first unveiled this truth in the novel, the claim was considered so unfathomably absurd that he was initially condemned as a raving lunatic.
Yet here was Hui, casually tossing out this world-shattering secret right in front of Cho Yoon, as if absolutely certain Cho Yoon already knew.
Wait a second… Then the reason Hui initially debuted as an antagonist, only to suddenly pivot and join the protagonist’s side… wasn’t just because of some capricious whim? Was he deliberately using the ‘pushing the lion cub off a cliff’ method to rapidly cultivate the protagonist’s growth from the very beginning? Was he simply biding his time, waiting for a hero capable of overturning the war to appear before officially choosing his champion?
A violent chill ran down Cho Yoon’s spine. The original ‘Cho Yoon’ was undeniably a brilliant man, but his intelligence wasn’t inherently Machiavellian. He was simply a genius possessing profound insight and exceptional scholarly capabilities.
Hui’s intellect, however, belonged to an entirely different echelon. Hui was…
If a man like this entered politics, he would be horrifyingly unstoppable.
He was the ultimate tactician, his intelligence flawlessly engineered for grand strategy and deceit.
For the very first time, Cho Yoon felt genuinely grateful that he was currently inside a martial arts novel rather than the modern world.
Simultaneously, his trust in the original novel’s narrative plummeted straight to rock bottom.
To think the author had taken a character this terrifyingly competent and portrayed him so pathetically—Cho Yoon had almost dismissed Hui as nothing more than a weirdly overpowered, poorly written trope. He now realized he could no longer naively assume the characters before him would perfectly mirror their one-dimensional portrayals in the novel.
“Baek Ho-cheol had already opened his mouth once, and the Gu poison planted in his brain was dead. Had we simply left him there, the truth of the Demonic Cult’s involvement leaking to the world would have only been a matter of time. Because the esteemed Great Hero so kindly lured Tang Yeom-cho far away from the estate, we were able to successfully retrieve him. However, in the process, my subordinates inflicted a wound upon Young Lady Lim… I am truly, profoundly ashamed.”
No… I had no idea that would happen either…
No matter how loudly he screamed internally, it was utterly useless.
Cho Yoon released a short, heavy sigh. Having heard enough explanations to last a lifetime, it was finally time to accomplish his primary objective for coming here.
“I merely came here to act as a mediator. Even if you claim it was unintentional, I demand that you personally apologize to her for threatening my children and leaving a scar she will carry for the rest of her life.”
“Yes, of course.”
Originally, Cho Yoon had fully intended to aggressively interrogate the man—How dare you touch my kid?—and rain hellfire upon him. However, the cunning Hui had preemptively delivered a ‘gift’ to Sa-yeong. Even without knowing exactly who the young man was, Cho Yoon could easily discern that he held immense, profound significance to Sa-yeong.
In other words, the two primary parties involved had essentially already reached a mutual settlement. Consequently, Cho Yoon desperately wanted to end this relentless barrage of shocking revelations and simply go home.
Replying cheerfully, Hui slid off his plush silk cushion.
Yeowa, who had been standing silently in the corner, immediately stepped forward to assist with his cumbersome, layered robes, but Hui politely dismissed him with a light wave of his hand.
Settling directly opposite Sa-yeong, he dropped to his knees on the bare wooden floor, overlapping his hands and offering a flawless martial salute.
Knowing exactly who ‘Hui’ truly was, the sheer depth of his immaculate politeness genuinely terrified Cho Yoon.
Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a culture where people rarely drop to their knees? Furthermore, this is Hui… No, seriously, why does everyone here love dropping to their knees so much?
“I offer my deepest apologies, Young Lady Lim. It was entirely due to my own negligence that you were forced to endure such a horrific ordeal; you have every right to condemn me. Though I have no face left to show you, I humbly beg for your forgiveness.”
“Ah…”
Clearly flustered, Sa-yeong shifted her gaze between Hui—who was bowing his head with exquisite, feminine grace—and Cho Yoon. However, when Cho Yoon merely observed her calmly without offering any guidance, she hardened her expression, seemingly coming to a firm resolution, and replied.
“Please… pay it no mind. It is fine. Rather… thank you for saving my dear friend. Thanks to you, a heavy burden I have carried for a very long time… feels as though it has finally been lifted.”
“I am so incredibly relieved to hear my actions were of some assistance to you.”
Instantly reverting to his usual, cheerful cadence, Hui covered his lips with his fingertips, letting out a soft huhu laugh as he gracefully resettled onto his plush cushion.
Reaching beneath the small tea table, he withdrew a single letter and offered it politely to Cho Yoon.
“Furthermore, this is my personal token of apology and profound gratitude for the esteemed Great Hero. Because I was entirely unsure of what you might favor, I agonized over this decision for quite some time. I sincerely hope you accept it.”
What? What is it this time?
Cho Yoon accepted the letter with one hand.
Hearing that Hui had ‘agonized’ over the selection instantly filled him with a creeping dread. He half-expected the severed hair of the assassin who attacked Sa-yeong to violently spill out the moment he opened the envelope.
Just then, as if reading his mind with terrifying precision, Hui continued.
“Truthfully, my initial intent was to sever the head of the assassin who committed the blunder and present it to you directly. The assassin in question was also more than willing to sever his own throat. However, seeing how you deliberately spared Baek Ho-cheol’s life—despite knowing full well it offered you absolutely no tangible benefit—I deduced that you desperately wished to shield your disciples from witnessing death for as long as possible… Thus, I prepared something entirely different.”
If I offered medicinal herbs, I couldn’t even begin to fathom finding something unique and novel enough to satisfy the esteemed Great Hero’s palate, Hui added softly.
Listening to that gentle voice, Cho Yoon swallowed dryly.
「Hui can deduce the entire contents of a book merely by hearing a few lines.」
The author had written that specific sentence, but it had never been properly utilized in the original novel. Now, the sheer and terrifying reality of it was violently apparent.
In the Qinling Mountains, when Baek Ho-cheol ambushed the merchant guild, Cho Yoon had intervened immediately to prevent any casualties.
Even within the Tang Clan, when Baek Ho-cheol was mere seconds away from dying to the Gu poison, Cho Yoon had stubbornly kept him alive.
While a sense of basic human obligation played a minor role, the overwhelming, primary motivation driving all those actions was simply: ‘This is a scene children absolutely should not witness.’
To deduce that exact, hidden motivation with flawless precision based solely on secondhand reports of the situations… Perhaps, given just a few more fragmented pieces of information, this terrifying man could easily deduce that the soul occupying this body was not ‘Cho Yoon’, but Jeong Hayoon.
The mere thought sent a cold shiver down his spine.
Opting not to open the letter immediately, Cho Yoon slipped it into his robes.
Observing this, Hui hesitated for a fleeting moment before speaking cautiously.
It was a profoundly serious, guarded expression that hadn’t surfaced even when discussing the Demonic Cult or offering his apology, instantly filling Cho Yoon with dread over what the man was about to say next.
“Truthfully… I possessed the capability to extract Baek Ho-cheol and bring him back without ever needing to travel all the way here personally. I had an entirely different, highly specific reason for pushing myself to meet the esteemed Great Hero face-to-face.”
“…Please speak.”
Whatever it was, Cho Yoon was absolutely certain it would be something he couldn’t possibly imagine. Attempting to achieve five massive, distinct objectives within a single conversation—he actually felt a bizarre sense of awe at the man’s sheer audacity.
Struggling to find the right words, Hui hesitated for a long time before slowly beginning his tale.
“As I mentioned earlier… Ever since Young Lady Lim established the Resolute Rat Gang in the slums of Guangdong Province at the tender age of eight, navigating the unforgiving markets to feed her people, I have been closely watching her. Utilizing techniques that no one could have possibly taught her, she effortlessly won the hearts of the masses, skillfully manipulating them to protect those who belonged to her.”
“Huk!”
From beside him, the sharp sound of Sa-yeong violently sucking in a breath reached Cho Yoon’s ears. It was blatantly obvious this was a past she desperately, fervently wished to keep hidden from him. Whether Hui realized this or not (though it was highly probable he knew exactly what he was doing and was simply feigning ignorance), he continued speaking, his expression laced with a mixture of awe and distinct regret.
“Lying is remarkably easy. The moment you utter words that contradict the truth, you have told a lie. However, crafting a lie that actively compels people to believe it is an entirely different beast. You must flawlessly comprehend the complete structural context surrounding the situation necessitating the lie. You must meticulously engineer every single detail—which specific facial expression to wear, exactly which words to employ—to maximize its psychological impact. The better you become at it, the more impossibly difficult executing a ‘good’ lie becomes.”
Lifting his previously lowered gaze in a highly theatrical manner, Hui stared directly at Sa-yeong. It was a movement remarkably similar to before, yet the emotion burning within his eyes had drastically shifted. As if boldly declaring he had absolutely nothing left to hide, his sapphire-blue eyes gleamed with a terrifying, unilateral sense of kinship, raw greed, and overwhelming anticipation as they slowly, possessively swept over Sa-yeong from head to toe.
Bearing the full brunt of that ravenous, suffocating gaze, Sa-yeong stiffened completely, resembling a feral cat raising its hackles in the face of a mortal threat.
“However, Young Lady Lim… instinctively knows exactly how to accomplish this. As naturally as breathing, she can effortlessly unlatch the heavy iron bars guarding a person’s heart and slip inside. While observing people thrashing about, entirely consumed by their circumstances, she possesses the chilling composure to maintain her own rationality, constantly calculating exactly what actions are required amidst the chaotic maelstrom to achieve her ultimate objective.”
The Sa-yeong that Cho Yoon had watched over and raised cherished her brother more deeply than anything else in the world. While she could occasionally act abrasive and playfully mischievous, she was fundamentally a remarkably responsible and brutally honest child.
The person Hui was currently describing sounded like an entirely different entity from the Sa-yeong Cho Yoon knew.
Yet, Cho Yoon found himself utterly incapable of refuting the claims.
Exactly as the man implied, he had absolutely no idea what horrific lengths the child had gone to in order to survive before meeting him.
To arrogantly believe he possessed a complete, flawless understanding of Sa-yeong was a display of profound, unforgivable hubris.
Ah, have I been lacking? Should I have engaged the children in deeper, more meaningful conversations? Should I have asked more questions, actively striving to understand their pasts? Have I been foolishly, arrogantly coasting along, blindly assuming I knew everything there was to know about my children?
The corners of Cho Yoon’s mouth hardened into a rigid, unforgiving line.
Despite the suffocating tension, Hui’s voice showed no signs of stopping.