By Zephyria Enlightenment (3)
A group of martial artists suddenly appeared, kicking up dust and crossing the street, causing people to scream and step aside.
They were the Hwasan Sect, led by Jang Han-soo. They were supposed to meet the informant vagrant group at the end of this road.
Jang Han-soo, who was moving quickly as if skimming the ground with his eyes fixed on the front, suddenly frowned.
“How many vagrant groups reported?”
When Jang Han-soo asked, one of his Junior Brothers, who was running side by side, replied.
“I heard there are about seven or eight. Why do you ask?”
Jang Han-soo glanced back. All fifteen Senior and Junior Brothers were following. If they didn’t know the martial arts level of the vagrants and excluded them altogether, there were about thirty enemies. There would be no problem dealing with two per person.
“You take command. I’m going back to the manor.”
“Yes? Is there a problem… Senior Brother!”
As Jang Han-soo turned his body in the opposite direction, the soles of his shoes rubbed against the ground, kicking up dust. And he began to go back the way he came like an arrow. His Senior and Junior Brothers quickly moved away.
‘Seong Mu-yeon… Saying annoying things for no reason.’
He clicked his tongue.
Clearly, he had thoroughly verified the vagrant’s report through Jegal Un. It was clear that the Demon Slayer Unit was there. It was clear that they were loitering around and trying to lure them out, but he couldn’t just ignore it without responding.
He was well aware of the existence of spies who might have infiltrated the alliance, but Wudang and Jegal would not be easily defeated, would they?
At times like this, trusting each other and focusing on completing the given task was the way to serve the organization.
‘…Could it be that Seong Mu-yeon thinks Jegal Un will betray us?’
Although he didn’t say it outright, he could vaguely read the hidden intention in his tone and context. It was an implication that Jegal Un could not be completely trusted and that something would happen. At least Seong Mu-yeon seemed to believe so.
‘What on earth is the basis for such an absurd idea?’
The leader of the Demon Slayer Unit or their lord, Third Young Master, would not be where the Junior Brothers were heading, so even if he left, there would be no major problems.
Since there were no colleagues to keep pace with, the way back was shorter than the way he came, and he was able to reach the manor quickly. However, the manor was disappointingly as peaceful as when he left.
He ignored the gazes of people who seemed to find his return strange and quickly moved to where Seong Mu-yeon was.
When he threw open the tightly closed door, Gang Woong, who was standing awkwardly, jumped up.
“S, S, Uncle, h, how did you get back so quickly…”
“Where is Seong Mu-yeon?”
Sure enough, Seong Mu-yeon was not there. However, there was a strange middle-aged man sitting like a sack of barley that had been brought in. Even Young Master Seomun of the Seomun family, who followed Seong Mu-yeon around like a pair of chopsticks, and the demonic cultist who was always lying in the corner were nowhere to be seen.
“Where did Seong Mu-yeon go!”
When he urged again, Gang Woong hesitated with a pale face and opened his mouth.
“T, that’s… He said he was going to check if the Spirit Pill was safe… Uncle! Where are you going!”
Jang Han-soo gnashed his teeth and moved his steps. The thought of what kind of nonsense Seong Mu-yeon might be up to made his steps gradually quicken.
‘I knew it.’
Seong Mu-yeon is a Demonic Cult Young master. It is not strange for him to do things that cannot be imagined with common sense.
He couldn’t understand what had happened in the last few months at all. What on earth did they believe in to bring a Demonic Cult Young master into the Mount Hua compound? Moreover, to protect him!
Baek Ryeo-il, who brought the guy, and even the Sect leader who allowed it, must have been out of their minds.
The thought of him pretending to be powerless and oppressed, gathering sympathy votes, made him feel disgusted. Without knowing it, Seong Mu-yeon would have a hidden trump card.
“D, Taoist! Let’s go together!”
A short middle-aged man hurriedly followed him. Jang Han-soo frowned.
“What is it?”
“I am Yang Ha-gakju of Yangha Pavilion. I know what Seong Mu-yeon is plotting.”
Jang Han-soo narrowed his eyes and scanned him.
“You… I think you were in that room earlier, did you hear what Seong Mu-yeon was saying? What did he say?”
“Incredibly, he suspects the Young master of Jegal family, who is the owner of this manor, of being a spy? Oh my, I’ve lived in this world for so long. I just feel sorry for Young Master Seomun. How could such a good person be caught by such a guy and dragged around?”
Yang Ha-gakju muttered something incomprehensible and continued to chase him, saying that he had to check the safety of Young Master Seomun.
They soon arrived at the Central Hall where the Spirit Pill was hidden. As expected, it was quiet as if nothing had happened, and no one had seen Seong Mu-yeon.
“Where did the person who went to check the Spirit Pill go?”
“Didn’t he go to find Young master Jegal?”
They immediately set out to find Jegal Un. But he was nowhere to be seen either. Jang Han-soo turned around helplessly after confirming that Jegal Un’s office was empty.
“Do you have any idea where he is?”
Jang Han-soo asked Yang Ha-gakju.
“There is another way to the basement. He may have gone that way.”
Then he started walking ahead.
Jang Han-soo narrowed his eyes. Even he didn’t know about the existence of the back door, but how did Yang Ha-gakju, who didn’t even participate in the defense of the Spirit Pill, know so much about it?
“Don’t look at me like that! I only know because I used to train as a disciple in this manor when I was young.”
Yang Ha-gakju grumbled, noticing that he was being suspected. He led Jang Han-soo with familiar steps.
Jegal Un went deeper along the path that led inside. At first glance, it seemed to lead to the inner room, but after looking around for a while, he turned in a different direction when he was sure that no one was there.
The three people who were hiding quickly and holding their breath exchanged glances.
It was definitely suspicious behavior.
They silenced their footsteps and followed Jegal Un. They occasionally encountered warriors on duty. When Jegal Un greeted them with a simple nod, Seomun Yuha dealt with them with his Flowering Bone ability. Thanks to this, Seong Mu-yeon and his party were able to follow him without difficulty.
There was no evidence that Jegal Un was a spy, so if they were caught tailing him, they would suffer. Reason was screaming at him to stop and go back, but his body was steadily moving forward.
It was a strange feeling where his head and heart were separate.
He felt like going back, but the unsettling points kept pushing him forward.
For example…
“Doesn’t it seem like he’s deliberately leading us? There’s no way a master like Jegal Un wouldn’t notice he’s being followed.”
Seomun Yuha muttered. Seong Mu-yeon nodded in agreement with those words.
Seong Mu-yeon added a word.
“Or there’s another reason to distract us.”
He had the same experience before. At that time, he thought it was because he was nervous before meeting the Jegal family head, but it was definitely something to be considered strange.
Before he knew it, he was inside a complex building with long corridors leading in all directions. If they got too far from Jegal Un, they would miss him, and if they got too close, they would be discovered, so they had to be more careful in their actions.
When Jegal Un disappeared around the corner again, they hurriedly followed, silencing their footsteps.
There were stairs in front of them. A dark corridor with no light was slightly visible below.
Step by step, Jegal Un’s footsteps faded away towards the end of the corridor, and then they heard the sound of a door opening and closing. He had opened the door located at the end of the corridor and entered. Soon, silence fell with the sound of the door closing.
“Where does that lead to?”
“It’s a place Young master doesn’t need to know.”
The three people who were startled by the low voice suddenly heard from behind turned around at the same time. There, Jang Han-soo was standing with his arms crossed, looking very angry.
“May I ask what you are doing here?”
Jang Han-soo asked, emphasizing each word. Behind him was Yang Ha-gakju, who was only showing his eyes.
Seong Mu-yeon, who had been caught red-handed, just gave an awkward smile.
“I warned you so much, but it seems like I can’t get through to you with words.”
“Young master Jegal just went in there…”
“What about it? This is a passage connected to the basement of the Central Hall where the Spirit Pill is hidden. Young master is the person who prepared this place himself. He can come and go as much as he wants, but not Young master Seong Mu-yeon. If it weren’t for me, you would have gone in without permission and been caught and imprisoned…”
Jang Han-soo, who was approaching with long strides, stopped and suddenly hardened his face.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I smell blood.”
He suddenly pushed Seong Mu-yeon aside and strode down the stairs, then walked into the dark corridor without seeing an inch ahead. Seong Mu-yeon and the others groped along the wall and slowly followed him. Before long, Seong Mu-yeon bumped his nose against Jang Han-soo’s back.
At that moment, Seong Mu-yeon felt a splashing sensation as if he were stepping on water pooled on the floor.
With a chilling premonition, Seong Mu-yeon groped for his back against the wall and pulled the flint, and light burst out, revealing the appearance of the corridor.
Seong Mu-yeon and his party gasped in surprise.
Corpses were piled up at their feet.
“T, these people… are from the Wudang Sect.”
Seomun Yuha muttered.
“The Jegal family is also mixed in.”
Bang Gyeom also looked at the person who had fallen nearby and said.
“…They’re all dead.”
A stream of cold sweat ran down Seong Mu-yeon’s back.