By Zephyria What Doesn’t Change (5)
Seong Mu-yeon squeezed his eyes shut.
Peng Yuan-jin was far more handsome in person than he had imagined. His smooth jawline, slightly upturned lips, and gentle eyes clearly revealed his calm nature.
He even felt like he could see a halo behind him.
‘It’s Peng Yuan-jin. Peng Yuan-jin is right in front of me!’
It was a tearfully overwhelming moment.
“Young master? Are you alright?”
Peng Yuan-jin asked worriedly when Seong Mu-yeon didn’t raise his head for a long while.
“Y-yes, I’m fine! Haha… Why wouldn’t I be? I’m perfectly fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s a bit awkward to meet in this situation, but it’s still a pleasure. You must have been quite taken aback by this incident, Young master.”
Ah…
He was the first person in this harsh Central Plains to greet him so warmly without prejudice, even knowing his origins.
Seong Mu-yeon, overwhelmed by the sight of him being exactly as he had hoped, felt tears welling up.
However, there was someone here who couldn’t stand a touching atmosphere for even a moment and had to ruin it to feel satisfied.
“Hey. Just act normal. It’s creepy.”
“What?”
“Look at this? Look at how quickly he changes his face? Do you think I’m easy to mess with?”
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon realize that he was distorting his face like a rebellious middle schooler. But it wasn’t his fault. With Peng Yuan-jin, an angel come to life, standing before him, seeing Baek Ryeo-il naturally brought back all the past grievances, and it was an unavoidable instinct to feel annoyed.
If Seong Mu-yeon had met Peng Yuan-jin instead of Baek Ryeo-il when he first came to the Central Plains, his life would have been very different by now.
He wouldn’t have had to live among beggars, wouldn’t have been treated worse than a dog, and wouldn’t have had to curl up on the ground to sleep. He wouldn’t have been tied to a tree, and his butt wouldn’t have been split in two!
…But it was also true that he had received a lot of help from Baek Ryeo-il.
Let’s not do this. Let’s not discriminate against people.
Seong Mu-yeon cleared his throat loudly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t go picking on innocent people.”
“You little…!”
“Ah! The Shaolin monks are returning!”
Fortunately, the monks returned with the prisoners, allowing Seong Mu-yeon to avoid Baek Ryeo-il’s outburst. There were easily dozens of Demonic humans tied up with ropes. Considering that hundreds had already been captured and imprisoned, it was an enormous scale.
‘As expected, Shaolin is truly amazing.’
The situation was resolved so quickly as soon as they stepped in.
Seong Mu-yeon coldly glanced over their faces.
They were the kind of guys who didn’t deserve to breathe the same air.
The only reason their heads were still attached was because Shaolin forbade killing. They had only survived because of that; otherwise, they would all have been dead before the night was over.
Suddenly, a black bamboo hat popped up from among the bald heads. It was Peng Do-hwan, returning with the monks. He looked around and, upon spotting Seong Mu-yeon, immediately strode over.
“I knew I’d find you here! Why did you leave so hastily earlier?”
“Do-hwan, you’ve already met Seong Young master.”
“Ah, Brother! You know him?”
Peng Yuan-jin said kindly.
“You must have heard of him as well. This is Demonic Cult’s Seventh Young master, Seong Mu-yeon.”
Peng Do-hwan’s eyes widened.
“He was a Demonic Cult Young master?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Seong Mu-yeon…”
He stammered, clearly flustered. He seemed unsure how to treat Seong Mu-yeon. He looked back at his brother, standing behind him, as if seeking permission. Peng Yuan-jin smiled and nodded, and he relaxed his guard.
Then, he thoroughly scanned Seong Mu-yeon from head to toe.
“He’s surprisingly ordinary? And his martial arts don’t seem very high. No wonder. So, that guy from earlier is also Demonic Cult? I can’t believe it. I thought I’d finally found someone worth fighting. But where is that guy?”
“Do-hwan. Don’t be rude.”
Peng Yuan-jin spoke sternly, but he didn’t pay any attention. Looking around, he spotted Il-gwang returning just in time.
“Hyung!”
Peng Do-hwan waved happily, and Il-gwang, who had been walking indifferently, froze. He grimaced, clearly displeased. Even though Il-gwang was radiating an aura that said, ‘Don’t come near me,’ Peng Do-hwan ran towards Il-gwang without hesitation. It seemed he was planning to ask for another match.
Seong Mu-yeon sighed in relief.
Whenever he revealed his identity, people couldn’t hide their disgust, at least for a moment. But as expected, the Peng brothers were magnanimous and upright individuals. Peng Do-hwan immediately lowered his guard as soon as his brother said it was okay, didn’t he?
Il-gwang ignored him as coldly as the winter frost, but Peng Do-hwan followed him around like someone who couldn’t feel the cold at all.
It seemed like he had picked the wrong person.
Seong Mu-yeon shook his head.
Condolences to Il-gwang…
“But why is that bastard here?”
Baek Ryeo-il asked. He hadn’t had the chance to ask earlier.
“We met by chance.”
He openly showed that he didn’t like Il-gwang. This was the reaction of a normal person.
Peng Yuan-jin, who had been quietly watching his younger brother, opened his mouth.
“It’s truly fortunate that it ended like this. I heard that this is the first time in history that the Demonic Cult’s disaster has been contained with so little damage. To think they would do something like this within Shaolin’s territory.”
“They’re just stupid,”
Baek Ryeo-il replied nonchalantly, but Seong Mu-yeon shook his head.
“They became like that because they lost their Young master. The internal power structure has changed, so if the lord they were aligned with disappears in that situation, they have nowhere to go. Even if they join another Young master’s faction, would they give them a place? No. The Demonic Cult is that kind of place.”
“…Whatever. Bullshit.”
“Indeed. It’s bullshit.”
That kind of Demonic Cult was where Seong Mu-yeon had grown up. His mouth felt bitter.
‘…But what is this feeling?’
Strangely, he felt like he was missing something important.
Something very important…
Everything had gone right.
He had saved Mazincheon, and all the enemies had been captured. He had even met Peng Yuan-jin.
Now, Baek Ryeo-il wouldn’t recklessly try to avenge his master. He wouldn’t be seriously injured after barging into that place…
“Ah!”
“What! You scared me!”
Baek Ryeo-il jumped in surprise when Seong Mu-yeon suddenly shouted.
He quickly scanned the faces of the prisoners again. There was no one noticeable.
“What’s wrong?”
Peng Yuan-jin asked, puzzled.
He’s not there…!
That bastard who killed Mazincheon.
Dokgoe is not there.
“Peng Young master, these all seem to be ordinary low-ranking cultists. Surely there must be masterminds who orchestrated this. Where are they?”
“Ah… Most of them are dead. They were with the masterminds at the place where the incident started, but they were so cruel that the Mount Hua seniors and my younger brother dealt with them first.”
“You’re sure you dealt with all of them?”
“Well… There were about twenty of them, and I don’t remember all their faces, so it’s hard to confirm. We might have missed a few. But they’ll be caught by Shaolin soon.”
“…”
It was the same in the original story. This incident itself wasn’t highlighted much. It was because the damage was relatively small and it was quickly resolved.
But only one person.
Only Mazincheon didn’t survive here.
The situation would have been resolved quickly in the original story as well, just like now. It wouldn’t have changed even if Baek Ryeo-il and Il-gwang had joined.
And yet, Mazincheon died.
At the hands of Dokgoe…
‘He must be dead.’
Dokgoe must be among the bodies that haven’t been recovered yet. Even if he was alive, there was almost no chance he could escape unnoticed from this place, where Shaolin was watching with eagle eyes.
Seong Mu-yeon suddenly raised his head.
“…Where is Mazincheon Headmaster?”
Mazincheon, who had been with the children until just now, was nowhere to be seen.
Mazincheon was walking alone through the devastated city center where the cleanup was underway. He stopped at the very house where he had saved the mother and daughter buried under the rubble.
‘This must be the house.’
Without hesitation, he stepped into the ruins. The reason he had returned here was because of a request from the child he had met again at the shelter.
〈Mister… Please find our Mongsil.〉
The girl said in a tearful voice. She didn’t even eat the candy Mazincheon had given her. Her watery eyes were filled with earnestness.
〈Ah-yeong! I told you not to do that! These people are busy. Headmaster, please forget about it. She’s just being a child.〉
The child’s mother hurriedly comforted her and disappeared.
But seeing the child reminded him of his disciple’s childhood, and he couldn’t ignore it. Baek Ryeo-il also had a small doll when he was about that age. His mother had made it before she ascended, and Baek Ryeo-il always hugged it to sleep, pretending not to care.
In the end, Mazincheon decided to find the child’s doll.
There was nothing dangerous in this place, where the martial monks were constantly patrolling.
As Mazincheon rummaged through the ruins, he suddenly felt a rustling sound behind him. He fiercely drew his sword and shouted.
“Who’s there!”