By Zephyria 
Jegal Un utilized a mysterious light body art to traverse the distance to Yak Seon’s laboratory located on the outskirts of Gansu Province in just one night.
A tranquil cabin nestled deep within a dense coniferous forest, far removed from any village, was bathed in warm morning sunlight.
‘No matter when I see it, it truly feels unreal.’
The secluded house, encountered after navigating through the dark forest, exuded an aura of momentary peace, enhanced by the evident touch of its caretaker’s hand.
A low fence, seemingly insufficient to deter even a raccoon, loosely encircled the area. Behind it lay a denser forest and rugged mountain slopes, while to the left were medicinal herb fields and rabbit pens.
This was Jegal Un’s first visit here. Yak Seon frequently changed residences, and each time, Jegal Un merely confirmed the location from afar.
Feeling slightly nervous, Jegal Un moved slowly, wary of unexpectedly encountering Seong Mu-yeon. He preferred to avoid meeting Seong Mu-yeon whenever possible, which explained why they hadn’t faced each once in the past three years.
As he approached with deliberate loud footsteps, someone raised their head from a corner of the cabin that had seemed quiet, as if uninhabited.
It was a rabbit mask. The rabbit pen gate was wide open, and real rabbits were hopping around, nibbling grass at their feet.
From the laboratory, a group of short, young boys and girls rushed out. They emerged as if expecting someone, but upon spotting Jegal Un, they halted abruptly, frozen.
“I came to see Yak Seon. Is she inside?”
Feeling the servants’ blatant hostility, Jegal Un stopped advancing further and called out loudly. Rumors suggested that the servants Yak Seon cherished and valued were quite prickly and sensitive. There were more than a few individuals who had suffered harshly after provoking them, and Jegal Un wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss such stories as mere gossip.
In response to Jegal Un’s question, the servants behind masks, whose expressions were hidden, exchanged sidelong glances. Their demeanor resembled children left alone at home while all the adults were away, wary of a stranger’s visit.
‘It seems Yak Seon isn’t inside.’
“Is Owl here?”
Jegal Un asked again. Owl was Yak Seon’s most cherished servant, someone who could communicate reasonably well and also knew Jegal Un’s secret.
“Big brother has gone out!”
The servant wearing the rabbit mask boldly replied. It seemed Owl was the eldest when absent. However, the short answer ended without any further explanation.
An efficient person avoids wasting energy on unnecessary, lengthy exchanges by preparing the necessary responses beforehand. This apparently didn’t apply to Rabbit Mask.
Hold on. They’re children.
Suppressing rising anger, Jegal Un patiently inquired again.
“Where did he go? When is he expected to return?”
But Rabbit firmly shook his head, lips tightly sealed. It meant he couldn’t divulge it arbitrarily.
“I have urgent, time-sensitive matters and must see her without delay. Tell me truthfully without hesitation.”
His voice came out somewhat stiff from restraining his anger. Compared to his tone with subordinates, it was feather-soft, yet the servants began retreating fearfully and hesitantly.
Soon, a few turned and scurried back into the laboratory, prompting Jegal Un to exhale a long sigh.
‘I’m not accustomed to dealing with children.’
Indeed, this was his first time. Most children, before developing intelligence, would start crying upon encountering Jegal Un. Given his status, when such situations arose, someone would sweat profusely to soothe them or take the child away, ending the matter.
The servants weren’t much different. Without causing any harm, why were they avoiding him as if seeing a predator?
Here, there was no one else to reassure or soothe the children. Jegal Un needed to elicit a cooperative attitude from them to extract the necessary information.
As he took a step closer to converse more intimately, he seemed to hear the frightened children trembling audibly.
Jegal Un displayed both palms to indicate no intent to attack and slowly approached.
‘What am I doing?’
Taming a wild animal freshly caught from the field would likely be easier than this.
Finally reaching a distance where conversation was possible without raising his voice, Jegal Un slowly lowered his body. He placed one knee on the ground so the children could look down at him.
Jegal Un often induced opposite positions in situations requiring pressure on others. Humans are inherently designed to feel intimidated when exposing their vulnerable neck and shoulders while looking upward.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Jegal Un. I have urgent business with Yakseon Daein and need to contact her promptly. Otherwise, something very dreadful will happen…”
Jegal Un tried to speak as gently as possible, slowly elaborating. But as his explanation lengened, he felt the servants weren’t listening to his words, uttered after considerable effort.
As frustration gradually surged, Jegal Un eventually abandoned explaining.
“If Yak Seon isn’t here, call Owl… or even Seong Mu-yeon.”
Reluctantly, Jegal Un uttered his name. Arguing with the servants risked him falling ill from pent-up anger first.
“Do you know the youngest?”
Upon hearing Seong Mu-yeon’s name, the servants perked up their ears.
…’Youngest’?
The odd title felt grating, but Jegal Un set aside minor doubts due to their first show of friendly attitude.
“Yes. I know Seong Mu-yeon lives here. He wears a strange badger mask. We are very close.”
“How close? Friends? Family? Neighbors?”
“Whatever the relationship isn’t important… closer than friends. Perhaps like blood-sharing kin.”
Jegal Un, who habitually replied coldly, quickly changed his words. Then, a relieved expression spread among the servants.
“So you can trust me. Where did Yak Seon go? Is Seong Mu-yeon inside?”
“Big brother and the youngest went to find Yak Seon!”
Did Yak Seon disappear or something?
“When? Where did they go?”
“Yesterday. They said they were going to Medicinal Herb Village.”
Rabbit pointed toward distant mountains. Jegal Un, aware of several villages beyond them, nodded.
“Alright.”
It seems something has indeed happened.
Jegal Un furrowed his brow.
Time is limited.
Recently, the martial alliance issued a mobilization order. They judged they could no longer overlook the increasingly unrestrained behavior of the Divine Demon Sect. Jegal Un, positioned to command his family’s elite warriors, needed to return before it was too late.
Lost in thought, Jegal Un suddenly turned his head. Despite the conversation ending, Rabbit Mask hadn’t left, staring blankly up at him.
“……”
At the expectant gaze, Jegal Un momentarily felt bewildered. Soon realizing what Rabbit desired, he hesitated, lips twitching, before finally speaking.
“…Thank… thank you for telling me.”
“Okay!”
With an awkward hand, he lightly patted Rabbit’s head, who then happily went inside.
‘Medicinal Herb Village…’
Jegal Un’s eyes gleamed as he immediately employed his light body skill, swiftly crossing the ridge, soon discovering the village Rabbit mentioned.
Medicinal Herb Village was in a chaotic atmosphere, as if a storm had passed. Villagers were tidying up devastated homes and gathering scattered household items that could still be used.
“Yak Seon?”
Grabbing one resident to inquire, he learned the whole story. Yak Seon and villagers had been taken by the Demonic Cult’s hands, and Seong Mu-yeon and Owl, joined by coincidentally encountered swordsmen, pursued her whereabouts.
Jegal Un followed Seong Mu-yeon and Owl’s traces into the mountains, soon witnessing a blood-soaked battlefield.
‘The smell of blood…’
He frowned.
Judging from the clean sword marks remaining on-site, those accompanying Seong Mu-yeon likely weren’t from an evil sect, but their methods were quite ruthless. Choosing such individuals as companions—was there thought behind it or not?
“……”
Jegal Un gnawed his lip.
The situation seemed quite serious. The Divine Demon Sect had persisted thus far with elusive actions, rarely caught. Countless Sects had been annihilated overnight without a trace. When the Nine Schools or Five Great Families arrived, they had already vanished, helplessly suffering for years.
‘A report must have already reached the martial alliance.’
Since martial artists stationed in nearby cities assisted Medicinal Herb Village’s aftermath, they likely reported to the martial alliance.
Jegal Un flew his form into the forest.
The unknown martial artists left minimal traces due to their high-level martial arts, but thanks to Seong Mu-yeon and Owl’s distinct marks, tracking wasn’t difficult.
‘We must find Yak Seon as quickly as possible.’
Jegal Un felt urgency.
The martial alliance had repeatedly missed the Divine Demon Sect, so upon learning of this incident, they likely dispatched elites to investigate immediately.
If attention focuses here, actions will be constrained. Preparing Seong Mu-yeon’s medicine required at least four people, so attracting people’s gaze must be avoided maximally. If someone grew curious, not only his secret but Seong Mu-yeon’s identity could be exposed.