By Zephyria Enlightenment (1)
Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes softened as he spoke. He cupped Seong Mu-yeon’s cheeks. His lips slowly approached and met his. The kiss was deep, as if trying to steal his breath, but it didn’t last long.
After parting his lips, he whispered closely into Seong Mu-yeon’s ear.
“I’ll savor the rest when I get back…”
Baek Ryeo-il playfully gestured with his eyes towards the drawer containing the Wine Jar he hadn’t tasted yet. But his gaze was even more intense when he looked at Seong Mu-yeon, as if burning.
“Wait for me.”
He pulled away.
Click.
As soon as the door closed, Seong Mu-yeon followed him. When he opened the door, tension filled the manor, illuminated by the faint moonlight. Armed martial artists were silently gathering to mobilize, fully prepared for battle.
Baek Ryeo-il didn’t look back as he blended into the group, disappearing into the darkness.
Baek Ryeo-il told him to rest more, but Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t fall asleep again.
After spending the night awake, he rubbed his heavy eyes and went to the living room, where Gang Woong and Bang Gyeom were sitting at the table with gaunt faces, also unable to sleep.
“Is there any news from Master Baek?”
Seong Mu-yeon asked, and Gang Woong shook his head weakly.
Just as he was about to leave the room to check the surroundings, he ran into Jang Han-soo, who was entering.
“Where are you going, Young master Seong Mu-yeon?”
Jang Han-soo subtly blocked the doorway, preventing Seong Mu-yeon from leaving, and stepped inside.
“I was just going to see if there was any new information.”
“I’m telling you this because I’m worried you might waste your time. In battles like this where a decision must be made quickly, no news is good news. If we receive contact in the middle, it likely means something has gone wrong.”
“…”
“Of course, Master, Senior Brother, and the top experts from each Sect have gone, so that won’t happen.”
Jang Han-soo said with a warning tone.
“Those who remain are not just standing still but are strengthening the defenses in preparation for any possible attacks. Everyone is on edge, so it’s best if you stay quietly in your room. I came to deliver that message.”
After saying what he had to say, he left without a greeting. He seemed more on edge than usual, likely dissatisfied with being left behind.
Once it became clear that there was nothing to do but wait, Seong Mu-yeon quietly took a seat.
“Sixth Young Master… Is this how you’ve been treated in Mount Hua?”
Bang Gyeom asked, not hiding his displeasure. It wasn’t just the orthodox sect alliance people who were on edge. Bang Gyeom was also worried about Seong Mu-jae and was extremely tense.
Seong Mu-yeon smiled bitterly.
“That person just dislikes me particularly. There are many who treat me well.”
Bang Gyeom didn’t seem to believe him. Considering what he had experienced since meeting Seong Mu-yeon, his caution wasn’t excessive.
“And Master Jang Han-soo just had a bad experience with me, but he’s not a bad person…”
Seong Mu-yeon stopped talking.
“…Right? He shouldn’t be.”
Jang Han-soo in the original story and the current Jang Han-soo were too different, so he wasn’t sure anymore.
Perhaps his appearance had a negative impact on Jang Han-soo. He wondered if the long-held anger and desire for revenge had been misdirected and fixated on Seong Mu-yeon, who had appeared before him.
Even Gang Woong seemed uncomfortable and closed his mouth, and a cold silence fell between them again.
The manor, with nearly half of its people gone, was eerily quiet, and even time seemed to flow several times slower. When he opened the window and looked at the sky, thinking a long time had passed, the sun was still hanging on the eastern mountains. It wasn’t even noon yet.
Will this waiting ever end?
Just as he was thinking that, Bang Gyeom broke the silence and muttered.
“But Young Master Seomun is nowhere to be seen.”
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon realize why the surroundings were so quiet. It was because Seomun Yuha, who had been constantly chattering and sticking close to Seong Mu-yeon since arriving here, was absent, making it feel even quieter.
“Could he have been drafted for the battle?”
Gang Woong asked cautiously.
“Surely not. Young Master Seomun hasn’t been training for long, and he’s not even a formal disciple, is he?”
“Then where did he go? He’s not the type to sit still in his room.”
Even trying to imagine Seomun Yuha waiting quietly like them was impossible.
Just then, they heard the sound of someone approaching quickly. It wasn’t just one person; it was the sound of at least two people.
Seong Mu-yeon and the others stiffened with tension and looked at the door. Two shadows flickered beyond the paper door, and then the door opened.
“I’m back!”
“Young Master Seomun? Where have you been…”
Seong Mu-yeon paused, stiffening as he identified the person who appeared with him.
The short man standing awkwardly next to the grinning Seomun Yuha, rolling his eyes uncomfortably, was none other than Yang Ha-gakju, whom they had been searching for so desperately.
“Say hello. You know each other, right?”
Yang Ha-gakju cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but his face crumpled at the dumbfounded expressions of the three men staring at him.
“What are you looking at? I wouldn’t have wanted to see your faces if Young Master Seomun hadn’t earnestly asked me to!”
Yang Ha-gakju shouted shrilly. Even so, he glanced at Seong Mu-yeon, still seemingly afraid of him.
“Where have you been all this time? We’ve been looking everywhere. You two… you knew each other?”
“We just met today.”
Seomun Yuha said nonchalantly, then strode in as if it were his own home and sat in an empty seat. He called Yang Ha-gakju to sit next to him as if he were inviting a close friend.
Surprisingly, Yang Ha-gakju sat down quietly like a docile sheep.
“After making inquiries, I found out that the Pavilion Lord hadn’t returned to his Sect yet and was still at the manor. Isn’t that right, Pavilion Lord?”
Yang Ha-gakju grinned and nodded at Seomun Yuha’s question.
“Of course. Our Yangha Pavilion is a great Sect with excellent swordsmanship and talented disciples, comparable to the Nine Great Sects! …But the truth is, it’s small, so I thought this manor was the safest place to hide.”
Yang Ha-gakju blurted out even things he hadn’t been asked.
Seong Mu-yeon let out a dumbfounded laugh. They had just met today, but they seemed closer than friends of ten years.
This was the power of Flowering Bone.
“The Pavilion Lord has promised to answer Young master Seong Mu-yeon’s questions sincerely. Isn’t that right, Pavilion Lord?”
“O-Of course. I haven’t done anything wrong, so there’s no reason to be afraid, right?”
“That’s a relief then.”
Seong Mu-yeon took a seat directly across from Yang Ha-gakju and continued.
“I’d like to ask you a few things about what happened a few days ago. About that morning when I was suspected of killing Je Cheon-deuk.”
At that, Yang Ha-gakju visibly panicked and glanced behind him as if looking for an escape route. But behind him, Gang Woong and Bang Gyeom were standing side by side, blocking his retreat.
“It’s okay. I’m just asking questions. No one will get hurt.”
“B-But…”
“Pavilion Lord? Wasn’t that something we agreed on earlier? I’d be a little disappointed if you changed your mind.”
Seomun Yuha coaxed him gently. Yang Ha-gakju’s fear seemed strong enough to withstand the allure of Flowering Bone. But soon, he stopped resisting and became docile again.
“W-What are you curious about that you came looking for me?”
“It’s nothing much. I’m just curious how you knew so much about that incident. Were you perhaps at the scene? Is it something you saw and heard directly?”
Seong Mu-yeon asked, and he flushed and slammed his hand on the table.
“Are you suspecting me of being a spy for the Demonic Cult?! That’s absurd! I was born here in Wuhan, and my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have lived and taken root here in Wuhan! I’ve never set foot outside Hubei Province in my life!”
“Then where did you hear that story?”
“Didn’t I already say? I got clues from listening to your conversation with the Sixth Young Master, and I went out and gathered information myself.”
“That’s what I mean. ‘Where’ and ‘from whom’ did you hear that story?”
“I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss about something so unimportant. Isn’t what you did the important thing?”
Seong Mu-yeon sighed at the conversation that kept missing the point and going around in circles.
“I’ll ask again. You clearly said yesterday that you had an ‘informant.’ Who is that informant?”