By Zephyria Third Young Master (2)
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon was in shock and stood blankly for a while.
Too much had happened in a short time, and his head was filled with complicated thoughts.
He hadn’t expected Seong Mu-geuk to be watching him so closely. And ‘of the same kind’… It was unpleasant, but he couldn’t completely deny it. Back then, he hadn’t suppressed the cruel desires he possessed.
And the Spirit Pill…
Could he really cure his illness with a Spirit Pill?
Rebirth Through Marrow Cleansing wasn’t possible simply with high martial prowess. A high level of martial prowess and enlightenment had to be achieved simultaneously to even attempt it. It couldn’t be done by just pouring in inner force, could it?
At that moment, a rustling sound was heard, and Gang Woong regained consciousness. Seong Mu-yeon, who had completely forgotten about him, was startled and rushed over.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes… What happened? Who, who was that person?”
Perhaps because he had fainted immediately, Gang Woong didn’t seem to remember Seong Mu-geuk calling him ‘the youngest.’
“He is…”
Seong Mu-yeon, who had opened his mouth to answer truthfully, suddenly trailed off.
He had nothing to hide. It was Seong Mu-geuk’s Demon Slayer Unit that had attacked Je Cheon-deuk, and it was Seong Mu-geuk who had attacked the Jegal Clan of his own volition, so he could just reveal the fact that he had come and step back.
But… if he revealed that fact, questions about his purpose would naturally follow. Could he deceive the perceptive Jegal Un with a fabricated story?
Fortunately or unfortunately, there was no time to think for long.
Bang!
With a roar, the window connecting to the outside shattered. Two people, entangled together, flew in and crashed.
As the rising dust settled, one was wearing the black uniform of the Demon Slayer Unit, and the other was wearing a long-sleeved garment, possibly from the Jegal Clan. He thought they were dead because they weren’t moving, but soon the entangled bodies stirred.
Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong stiffened and stared at the twitching figures.
Eventually, the Demon Slayer Unit in black clothes pushed aside the limp Jegal Clan warrior and stood up. His eyes flashed, and he fixed his gaze on Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong.
“Let’s go, Young master!”
Gang Woong grabbed Seong Mu-yeon’s hand and started running.
He felt a cold sensation flying from behind. Seong Mu-yeon pushed Gang Woong to the side and rolled with him. A sharp hidden weapon was embedded in the spot where the two had been just moments before.
“Ugh…”
Seong Mu-yeon, who had hit the floor hard as he fell, clutched his throbbing shoulder. As he raised himself halfway, the scene of carnage unfolding before him came into view.
“Protect the Young Clan Leader!”
“Aaaagh!”
Having achieved their objective, the Demon Slayer Unit no longer had any reason to gather the enemies in one place and hold their attention. A chaotic battle broke out throughout the manor, with blood splattering everywhere. The scale of the Demon Slayer Unit was larger than expected.
Behind them, one of the Demon Slayer Unit who had been chasing them from the room was approaching with a chilling sword.
There was nowhere else to run. They plunged into the heart of the battlefield. The Demon Slayer Unit who had been following them was soon blocked by another enemy and moved away.
No one paid attention to them, and no one let them pass. Swords flew from all directions. Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong pushed and pulled each other, searching for a place to hide.
In the midst of this, Seong Mu-yeon heard a flash of light and a crash and raised his head. A dazzling sword light erupted from the roof not far away.
It was Baek Ryeo-il and Seong Mu-geuk.
“Young master! That way!”
Gang Woong pulled him, and he had to take his eyes off the roof. Gang Woong led him to the remaining debris of a collapsed wooden building. They found a space where the two could hide between the remaining wall and the roof.
“Haa… haa…”
The two were able to catch their breath for a moment.
‘Swordsmanship…’
Baek Ryeo-il’s figure seemed to flicker before his eyes. He wanted to check if he was okay, but he didn’t dare to peek over the planks for fear of being discovered by the enemy.
Gang Woong, with a composure beyond his age, sharply watched the surrounding situation. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth.
“Before leaving Mount Hua, Master told me not to take it out unless it was absolutely necessary, and entrusted me with something.”
He took out a small box from his chest.
“Is it a spirit pill?”
“Yes. And he set a few conditions. When only the two of us are left without Master or anyone else, when a battle breaks out in that situation, when the enemy is too strong for me to handle or there are too many enemies… It seems like now is the time.”
Gang Woong handed the box to Seong Mu-yeon.
“I don’t understand why this is needed in this situation, but he said it’s a medicine Yak Seon wrote when Young master collapsed. He added that it can’t solve the root cause, but ‘if the vessel is strong, less water will leak.’ What does that mean?”
Seong Mu-yeon smiled awkwardly. It was natural that Gang Woong didn’t understand. He didn’t yet know the power that Seong Mu-yeon was hiding.
The meaning of Baek Ryeo-il delivering the medicine to Seong Mu-yeon with such conditions was very clear. It was a way of telling him to save his own life if he was in danger.
Seong Mu-yeon looked around again, found a small gap in the wall, and looked out.
The bloody battle to take each other’s lives was still raging, so he couldn’t find Baek Ryeo-il, but he saw a familiar building. It was the prison where Seong Mu-jae and Bang Gyeom were locked up. He must have wandered around aimlessly and ended up near the prison.
“You bastards!”
Yang Ha-gakju was also wielding his sword against the enemy. However, as the head of a small, nameless Sect, his martial prowess was not very high, and the precarious situation made him anxious from the sidelines.
“Keuk!”
Eventually, Yang Ha-gakju spat out blood and collapsed. But it just so happened that he fell right next to the gap where Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong were hiding, and their eyes met.
“Kkeuek… Save, save me…”
‘Aish…!’
For a brief moment, Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong’s eyes met. He could see a strong will not to let him die.
‘I really hate this.’
The Demon Slayer Unit who had attacked Yang Ha-gakju was momentarily distracted, so now was the chance. Seong Mu-yeon and Gang Woong grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the wall. It wasn’t easy to cram Yang Ha-gakju into the small space where the two of them could barely sit.
“I’ll cover the tracks!”
Gang Woong whispered lowly, sweating. The blood flowing from his abdomen was spreading beyond the wall, so there was a high risk of being discovered soon. Gang Woong frantically piled debris on the blood-stained dirt floor to try to hide it.
But the Demon Slayer Unit quickly realized that Yang Ha-gakju had disappeared. The sound of footsteps slowly approaching from beyond the wall struck his ears loudly. The panicked Gang Woong stiffened like a mouse.
The tip of a sword stained with blood flickered beyond the wall. He had found Gang Woong. It was the moment the guy raised his sword. Seong Mu-yeon jumped between them.
“……!”
The Demon Slayer Unit flinched, and a stalemate continued for a while with the sword raised. Seong Mu-yeon, who had been fully prepared with Yak Seon’s spirit pill, frowned.
Surprisingly, the Demon Slayer Unit did not attack him but turned and left.
Gang Woong and Yang Ha-gakju stared at him with wide eyes. Seong Mu-yeon was just as surprised as they were. But considering the offer Seong Mu-geuk had made earlier, it seemed he had given orders in advance to prevent his subordinates from harming him. He felt more uneasy than surprised.
Unfortunately, Seong Mu-jae didn’t seem to receive such preferential treatment.
“Let go of me, you bastards! Do you know who I am! How dare you lay a hand on me?! You bug-like… Kuek.”
With a familiar scream, the limp Seong Mu-jae was carried out of the prison on the shoulders of the Demon Slayer Unit.
“Sixth Young Master!”
Bang Gyeom’s desperate cry echoed from inside the prison.
“T-that person is Sixth Young Master, right?”
“It seems so. Our brother is being kidnapped.”
“S-shouldn’t we go save him?”
“Well… I don’t really want to…”
Seong Mu-yeon sincerely didn’t want to. To save him, Gang Woong alone would never be able to do it, so Seong Mu-yeon would have to step in himself. But to use the precious Yak Seon’s spirit pill on Seong Mu-jae of all people, what a waste that would be?
“W-well, the person who kidnapped him is also one of his brothers, so he wouldn’t kill his own younger brother, right…?”
“He’ll kill him.”
“Y-yes?! Even so, how could brothers…”
“Did you see the Spirit Pill? The Third Young Master killed the Fourth Young Master to make that.”
The innocent Gang Woong was on the verge of fainting, his face pale as if he had never heard such a terrible thing before.
“…Still, we have to save him… We need our brother to make the medicine.”
Seong Mu-yeon turned his head slightly and looked at the fallen Yang Ha-gakju.
“What, what are you looking at?!”
Yang Ha-gakju, who had been groaning in pain, flinched at Seong Mu-yeon’s gaze. Even though it would be more painful to move, he tried to retreat deeper.
“D-don’t come closer. Aaaagh!”