By Zephyria 
“Shouldn’t we go look for him?”
Three days later, Seong Mu-yeon asked Owl.
There were times when Master Yak Seon would leave Wangjin and not return for several days. This happened when he suddenly encountered a patient with a severe illness or when he had to observe whether a treated patient’s condition was improving.
However, whenever that happened, Yak Seon would always contact them in some way to reassure the servants. It was worrying that there was no news and he hadn’t returned for so long.
“…I need to go to the village.”
Owl pondered for a moment, then nodded. He prepared immediately and left in a hurry.
And before long, he returned to the lab, still alone.
“Yakseon Daein…?”
Seong Mu-yeon asked cautiously, and Owl shook his head heavily.
“It’s true he visited the village chief’s house three days ago, but he didn’t stay long and left quickly…”
“Yes? Then where did he go?”
“I asked the residents… A woman said she saw Yak Seon in the fields with a man he met on the road… She said they disappeared in a hurry, as if they had urgent business…”
Owl continued slowly.
“Considering the direction they left in, and the woman thinks he looked like a young man from the next village…”
“Then we should go quickly! Something might have happened.”
Even then, Seong Mu-yeon thought it was nothing serious. At most, he thought, patients must have prepared a grand feast as a reward for his treatment. He could picture Yak Seon lying sick, his condition worsened by excessive drinking.
But Owl didn’t act immediately. Instead of Owl, who seemed lost in thought, the other servants stepped forward.
“I’ll go!”
“No, I’ll go!”
“Then let’s go together.”
The servants were restless, as if they would burst out the door at any moment.
“You guys wait…”
The commotion subsided as Owl, emerging from his thoughts, spoke, and everyone fell silent.
“Maknae, you come with me…”
“Yes? Me?”
Seong Mu-yeon shuddered at the title ‘Maknae.’
There was a hierarchy among the servants, just like in other Sects. Owl, who had arrived first, was the eldest. And Seong Mu-yeon, who had arrived last, became the youngest, the lowest in the hierarchy, who had to respect his older brothers and sisters. Seong Mu-yeon seemed destined to be treated as the youngest wherever he went.
“Something might happen… You’re the only one among us who knows how to fight.”
“I see.”
With that settled, Owl turned to the servants.
“If we don’t return after three days, you know what to do, right…?”
“Yeah!”
Rabbit Mask replied cheerfully.
“If you don’t return? What happens then?”
Seong Mu-yeon followed Owl, who was quickly preparing, and asked.
“There’s a hideout prepared separately… We’ll meet there.”
“Ah.”
Yak Seon had moved his residence several times. One reason was that Seong Mu-yeon shouldn’t be seen by people, but another was that the power struggles in the Central Plains had intensified over time.
Initially, they stayed near large cities, but they gradually moved to more remote locations. Eventually, they settled in a remote village in Gansu Province, far away in a deep forest.
Yak Seon had prepared safe houses in various parts of the Central Plains to easily escape from conflicts that had nothing to do with him.
It was his long-standing habit of not wanting to get involved in fights.
“I’m taking you with me this time because of unavoidable circumstances, but you must be careful… If your identity is exposed, it could be dangerous…”
These days, ordinary people were frequently caught up in the fights of Martial artists and suffered harm. That was why Owl was taking Seong Mu-yeon, even at the risk. If they happened to get caught up in a fight, he needed a way to protect himself.
“Anyway, if Yakseon Daein doesn’t return, I’ll die.”
Seong Mu-yeon replied nonchalantly. It wasn’t a joke, nor was he trying to gloss over it. The herbal medicine he took every day was prepared once every three months, and currently, there were only fifteen days’ worth of ingredients left.
If Yak Seon didn’t return, the medicine would run out, and if he couldn’t take the medicine, the rebound effect would worsen his condition. It meant he was as good as dead.
“Still, unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t step forward and stay quietly behind me with your mouth shut…”
“Yes, sir.”
Thus, the two of them packed a simple bag in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances. The bag contained some medicine for emergencies, some money, and emergency rations for Seong Mu-yeon.
The servants leaned over the low wall and saw them off.
* * *
Yaksu Village is administratively part of Gansu Province, but it borders Qinghai Province to the west and Sichuan Province to the south, making the distinction largely meaningless.
Seong Mu-yeon and Owl walked for a full hour to reach the entrance of the village. The small farming village had no signpost with its name. The name Yaksu Village was just what the residents living nearby called it to distinguish it.
“…Why is no one here?”
Even in a small village, there would usually be one or two people curious about outsiders. But after entering the village, they didn’t meet anyone while passing through several fields.
“I don’t like this feeling…”
Owl quickened his pace. Before long, the ordinary rural scenery gradually changed.
The fields where the villagers had been planting seeds with plows and hoes just a few days ago were now torn up and revealing their bare soil, and black smoke was rising in the distance.
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon and Owl exchanged glances.
Something was wrong.
The thatched-roof houses they passed were all empty, and the deeper they went, the more the village looked like a ruin. The pungent smell of burning filled the air.
The unease that had been creeping in turned into a tension that gripped them instantly.
Just then.
“Aaaagh! Don’t come!”
Someone suddenly jumped out of the bushes, screaming like crazy. The man, who looked like a villager at first glance, was covered in dry grass and dirt on his tattered cotton clothes, as if he had rolled around in the forest, and a clear terror was on his face.
And a nimble Swordsmen was chasing closely behind him.
“Help me!”
The distance between the two was closing rapidly. If this continued, there would be bloodshed.
“Let’s save that man first!”
Owl blocked Seong Mu-yeon, who was about to run.
“Wait a minute.”
“Yes? Ugh!”
Unexpectedly, Owl struck several pressure point strike on Seong Mu-yeon’s body. Even in this situation, the two people engaged in the chase were getting closer, as if they would touch each other at any moment.
There was no time to argue about what he was doing. Seong Mu-yeon pushed Owl away and ran quickly.
But in times like these, a moment can determine life or death.
Seong Mu-yeon had to watch as the Swordsmen’s sword, filled with killing intent, covered the young man’s back, with only one sheet of paper’s distance remaining between him and the young man.
At that moment, a stone flew fiercely from somewhere and landed accurately at the young man’s feet.
“Ugh!”
The young man, who had been running with all his might, momentarily lost his balance and fell downward. Thanks to this, the sword stabbed harmlessly into the air.
The fallen young man naturally leaned forward and cast a large shadow over Seong Mu-yeon’s body, who was right in front of him.
Seong Mu-yeon, who witnessed the heavy young man rolling towards him, sensed his fate in the next moment.
‘…Damn it.’
Thud-!
The young man and Seong Mu-yeon rolled on the ground, entangled together. Stars flashed before his eyes, and he couldn’t even groan under the weight pressing down on him.
“Ugh…”
The young man must have hit something hard, as he couldn’t move easily even after stopping completely. Seong Mu-yeon, who was pinned underneath, was flattened.
After a while, the weight pressing down on him disappeared. Seong Mu-yeon squinted and looked at the other person.
“Are you alright?”
The person who suddenly appeared was standing against the sun, so his face was not clearly visible, but his well-organized, refined voice and manner of speaking made him want to trust him unconditionally.
Suddenly, Seong Mu-yeon realized that this was not a safe lab and hurriedly touched his face. Fortunately, the badger mask was still on properly, not crooked even in the chaos.
Seong Mu-yeon took the hand offered by the other person and opened his mouth to express his gratitude as he stood up.
“……”
“…Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
To his dismay, no sound came out.