By Zephyria A Humble Person in a Precious Place (1)
“……Are you alright?”
“No, I’m dying.”
He’s still alive.
“You’re heavy, you know.”
“Just shut up and stay still.”
Baek Ryeo-il took a moment to catch his breath. Seong Mu-yeon thought he must have overdone it tonight. And for good reason.
He wondered just how many members of the Black Shadow Unit he had taken down, not to mention the martial artists and even the branch leader affiliated with the branch……. Plus, he had a hole in his thigh.
Baek Ryeo-il was suffering because of him, enduring hardships he didn’t need to. The least he could do was offer his shoulder for a moment to lean on.
Baek Ryeo-il quietly took even breaths. Once his strength had somewhat returned, he asked.
“Seong Mu-yeon, just what kind of guy are you…….”
Because he was mumbling against his shoulder, Seong Mu-yeon felt ticklish where his breath touched, but he endured it. And then he apologized.
“I’m really sorry. Master Baek was the only person I could think of.”
“You used me to solve your problems? It’s so absurd I can’t even laugh.”
Baek Ryeo-il had eyes and ears, so he seemed to have roughly figured out the situation by observing what was happening. Namgung Cheon-chu had been captured. Seong Mu-yeon was acting exaggeratedly. He thought there must be something he didn’t know, so he had been playing along…….
“I feel like I’m being played by you.”
Baek Ryeo-il let out a long sigh. Seong Mu-yeon had committed a sin, so he had nothing to say. He simply offered his shoulder.
“So, about that.”
Seong Mu-yeon hesitated before opening his mouth.
“Could you hide me for a bit?”
“……What?”
Baek Ryeo-il raised his body. He doubted his ears and stared intently, as if trying to grasp Seong Mu-yeon’s intentions.
Seong Mu-yeon scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward.
How much had happened in such a short time?
Seong Mu-yeon didn’t think he could handle it if this kept happening.
“Well, I thought I could hide well enough on my own, but it turns out I couldn’t. And I was thinking, what if I don’t have Master Baek around when I’m in danger again? So please, hide me somewhere safe.”
He decided it was better to put a leash on himself and hand it over to someone else.
Baek Ryeo-il let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Now you’re just openly going to use me?”
“No, well……. You wanted to catch me anyway, right? What’s the difference? Just think of me as bringing in a potted plant and leave me next to you. I’ll live like I’m dead, without making a sound or smell.”
Seong Mu-yeon obediently offered his neck. But the answer that came back was different from what he expected.
“No thanks.”
Baek Ryeo-il even crossed his arms and took a few steps away from Seong Mu-yeon. It was a clear expression of refusal.
“Yes? Why? Are you okay with me wandering around the Central Plains as I please? I’m the Demonic Cult Leader’s son, you know?”
“The Namgung Clan is here, and the Beggars’ Sect is here, and if necessary, we can request the martial alliance to kindly take you in. There’s no reason for me to keep an eye on you. And.”
Baek Ryeo-il, who had been speaking stiffly, suddenly glared fiercely at him and continued.
“This incident has made me trust you even less. How do I know when you’ll change your mind again and stick a knife in my neck?”
“……Do I even have the ability to do that? Ah, anyway, the Beggars’ Sect is a bit…….”
“You seemed to be doing well in the beggars’ den. You fit right in, so what’s the problem?”
“Don’t do that. Please?”
“Ah, I said no!”
Baek Ryeo-il ruthlessly shook off Seong Mu-yeon, who was clinging to his arm.
“Why are you doing this to me, anyway? If you have any conscience, before making such a request, put your hand on your heart and think about what you’ve done! Whether it was intentional or not, I went through all that trouble because of you. Do you think I want to do that again?”
“Uh…….”
Seong Mu-yeon was speechless. Even he thought he didn’t seem to have a shred of conscience. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have obediently prostrated himself from the beginning. He hadn’t thought of it then.
“Right? You have nothing to say, do you?”
“But……. But……!”
“But what? What kind of scheme are you going to come up with with your silver tongue? Ah, never mind! I’m not going to listen.”
“But……!”
Seong Mu-yeon squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“Master Baek is the most trustworthy!”
“…….”
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon’s face flushed.
He wanted to hide if there was a mouse hole. But he had a reason he couldn’t back down from.
Maybe he had been too scared and overly cautious.
As he said, there was a good reason at the time. Seong Mu-yeon, who had read the original work, knew how righteous Baek Ryeo-il was, but he didn’t think he could enter that fence. But now he knew.
That he, too, could enter Baek Ryeo-il’s fence.
In a world where no one could be trusted, such trust was more precious than any wealth. Where in the world could he find someone he was sure would never bend his beliefs and would uphold his own justice?
Moreover, Seong Mu-yeon had become more dangerous than before, having devastated the branch managed by the Third Young Master. He was that desperate.
“…….”
He expected to be scolded, but there was no reaction. Seong Mu-yeon wanted to check Baek Ryeo-il’s face, so he slyly raised his gaze.
Baek Ryeo-il was standing with the moon behind him, so his expression wasn’t visible.
“……Master?”
“Ahem. I see…….”
“So, will you do it?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Baek Ryeo-il and Seong Mu-yeon slowly began to walk towards the hideout.
“Don’t be so stingy! There’s no one but Master Baek. I can’t trust anyone else. Am I supposed to live in a beggars’ den for the rest of my life? I can’t even trust the beggars.”
“Good grief…….”
Baek Ryeo-il rubbed his bare face and then glared at Seong Mu-yeon.
“Instead, there’s a condition.”
Baek Ryeo-il held up three fingers.
“Three things.”
Seong Mu-yeon swallowed nervously.
“What are they?”
“First!”
“Yes.”
“…….”
“…….”
Baek Ryeo-il only held out his fingers and didn’t answer for a long time. A silence that felt like he would suffocate continued as he waited.
“……Master? What’s the first condition?”
“Th, that will be decided later!”
“Ah……. Yes.”
It seemed he couldn’t think of a condition to set right now.
As they approached the hideout, a bright light came into view. Torches were burning everywhere, and the area around the entrance was as crowded as a marketplace.
“It looks like the Beggars’ Sect and the Namgung Clan have arrived. That’s a relief.”
The situation was already over. All the remaining Demonic Cult martial artists had been subdued, and the Namgung Clan was busy taking care of the rescued civilians.
He also spotted Namgung Cheon-chu receiving treatment in the distance. He tried to get up when he found Seong Mu-yeon and Baek Ryeo-il standing far away.
“Let’s go.”
“Without saying hello?”
“Why bother? He’ll just say flattering things anyway. Thanks to the Heartless Sword, blah blah blah, grateful to Mount Hua, blah blah.”
“But where are we going? Are we going back to the village? Or Mount Hua should have a branch…….”
“You’re coming back to Hwasan with me.”
Seong Mu-yeon’s jaw dropped.
“Hwasan? The Mount Hua where the Great Mount Hua Sect headquarters is located?”
“Is there another Hwasan?”
Baek Ryeo-il approached to pick up Seong Mu-yeon. Seong Mu-yeon quickly avoided his touch.
“Wa, wait a minute. Me? To Hwasan? Why?”
Baek Ryeo-il narrowed his eyes.
“You said you wanted protection.”
“That doesn’t mean I wanted to go to the headquarters! I thought you’d just put me in some random affiliated Sect or something. How dare I go there.”
“Then? Did you think I would unilaterally vouch for the son of a Demonic Cult Leader who hasn’t been verified at all?”
He was right.
“I’ll hand you over to the Sect leader to be thoroughly verified so I can rest assured.”
“Wa, Sect leader? Me?”
“I thought of a condition. First, don’t argue with me.”
“……Tch.”
Baek Ryeo-il swung him over his shoulder.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes? Now? So suddenly, aaaaaaah!”
Seong Mu-yeon let out a shrill scream.
Everything he could see left only afterimages and flashed by. Namgung Cheon-chu and the hideout also disappeared in an instant. Seong Mu-yeon’s arms, legs, and hair flailed wildly.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Shut up!”
Hwasan, famous for being the most rugged mountain in the Central Plains.
At its peak was the Great Sect Hwasan Sect, named after the mountain. The morning of the Hwasan Sect, which revered Taoism, started particularly early.
The youngest disciples rubbed their sleepy eyes and swept the mountain gate before the sun rose. Because it was a place where Taoists gathered to practice, it always had to be kept neat and tidy.
Swish, swish.
A quiet silence flowed, except for the sound of the broom sweeping the ground. The elegant atmosphere was the pride of Hwasan…….
“Don’t you hear a strange noise?”
A boy picked at his ear. Another boy who was cleaning the mountain gate with him tilted his head.
“What noise? I didn’t hear anything.”
“That thing! Can’t you hear it?”
The boys tilted their ears towards the cliff below. Sure enough, there was a different noise mixed in than usual.
“……Is it a bird?”
Moreover, it was getting closer and closer. Soon, the boys were able to identify the source of the sound.
“Aaaaaaah!”
It was a scream.
Following that, Baek Ryeo-il fell from the sky.
“Sa, Senior Brother!”
The boys bowed to their Senior Brother, who had left for an external excursion.
“Yeah, good morning.”
Baek Ryeo-il ruffled their hair and went inside. It was strange that the screaming had stopped with his appearance.
But soon, the boys found a person folded in half and slumped over on Baek Ryeo-il’s shoulder.
“Ki…… Ll…… Me.”
“Stop exaggerating.”
“Bad……. Bastard…….”
The man dropped his head. He seemed to have fainted.
The man’s arms and legs also swayed cheerfully in time with Baek Ryeo-il’s light steps.