By Zephyria 
She had changed very little since the last time he saw her. With her black hair pinned up by a hairpin adorned with a ruby, she still stood loftily atop the roof of a shanty house, her posture seductive and languid.
Facing Heukmajo, Seong Mu-yeon realized why Il-gwang had been acting so urgently. Heukmajo had harbored a grudge against him ever since he killed her lover out of personal resentment.
She had been strong three years ago, but judging by her even sharper aura, it seemed she had not been negligent in her training since then.
“But you’ve brought some stray along. What is that? A Badger?”
Heukmajo looked down at Seong Mu-yeon, her eyes gleaming. She seemed intrigued by his unconventional attire.
“If you’re late, stop talking and just do what you’re supposed to do, Heukmajo.”
Il-gwang snapped, revealing his impatient nature. He deliberately grated on her nerves to divert her attention away from Seong Mu-yeon.
“How arrogant. Someone might think you’re the superior. The only person in this world who can give me orders is Ilgongja.”
The effect was excellent. Heukmajo quickly shifted her gaze from Seong Mu-yeon and displayed hostility toward Il-gwang.
“And? Do you plan to just stand there and watch until every member of the Black Shadow Unit is wiped out?”
“Can’t you do something about that nagging? Your already lackluster charm is becoming even more hideous.”
“Go and stop Peng Do-hwan, Heukmajo.”
“Got it.”
Heukmajo’s attitude was the height of boredom, but the moment she sprang into action, she transformed with a terrifying sharpness.
She vanished from sight in an instant. The next moment, a blast of sound, different from those heard until now, erupted from the direction where Peng Do-hwan was located. The screams of the people grew louder.
“Why is Heukmajo here?”
Only then could Seong Mu-yeon relax his stiffened body and breathe.
“This mission was assigned jointly with Heukmajo,” Il-gwang said with a sigh.
“That is why you, Seven Sons, must stay as far away as possible. If that woman happens to realize your identity…”
He clicked his tongue as if the mere thought was horrific.
“You surely haven’t forgotten what happened in Henan. Back then, Heukmajo sincerely tried to kill you. Things are calm for now, but there’s no telling how she might change if you appear before her eyes. That must not happen.”
Seong Mu-yeon agreed on that point. Thus, another reason was added as to why he must not remove his mask.
Just then, another explosion was heard from the market. It seemed a fierce battle was taking place. Seong Mu-yeon gazed in that direction with concern.
“Heukmajo won’t kill Young Master Peng, will she?”
“Who knows. If he interferes with the mission, she’ll dispose of him. He’s already interfering enough.”
“Tell her not to kill him.”
“Do you think she will listen to me?”
“…No.”
Even though he had asked, Seong Mu-yeon’s answer was skeptical.
“I know well that you have a special attachment to them, Seven Sons, but you must step back now. In fact, if Peng Do-hwan disappears, you will be even safer, so it’s a gain rather than a loss.”
When Seong Mu-yeon remained silent for a while, Il-gwang let out a faint sigh and patted his shoulder.
“…Think about the reason why you left that day three years ago.”
Flinch.
Seong Mu-yeon looked at Il-gwang. He gazed back at him with a solemn expression.
“If you intervene now, you might be able to save Peng Do-hwan immediately, but countless people live in this land, and even now, someone may be waiting for an opportunity, wishing for his death. Can you stop them all alone?”
“….”
“Even if you overcome this crisis, similar events will continue to follow one after another, and you will be embroiled in the grudges and power struggles of the martial world once again. Eventually, you will fall into a danger that you cannot handle. Didn’t you leave because you were disillusioned with such a martial world?”
A danger he cannot handle…
Il-gwang had hit the mark. Seong Mu-yeon’s complexion darkened as memories he didn’t want to recall surfaced.
“So close your eyes and plug your ears; neither see nor hear. If you have no intention of returning to the harsh life of the martial world where strength is the only law, you must do so. That is the only way for you, Seven Sons, to protect your life.”
These were words one would say to a disciple or a junior. At some point, it seemed Seong Mu-yeon had come to mean more to him than just a disliked target of protection he had to guard by any means necessary.
“Despite her personality, one cannot help but acknowledge Heukmajo’s martial arts skills. She will definitely find Yak Seon, so do not worry…”
At that moment, the two sensed something rushing toward them rapidly through their sensory perception. Confirming it was a person, Seong Mu-yeon instinctively threw himself forward without a second thought.
The one who fell into his arms was Peng Do-hwan.
“Ugh…”
Due to the weight accompanying his tall stature and the speed at which he flew, Seong Mu-yeon felt an impact as if his internal organs were bursting.
However, his own pain was nothing. Peng Do-hwan’s condition was severe at a single glance. In a short amount of time, it seemed he had been toyed with by Heukmajo like a plaything.
“Oops, my mistake.”
Heukmajo landed lightly on a nearby roof. For a mistake, her expression was far too nonchalant after throwing a person like a cannonball.
Given that the direction he flew was coincidentally exactly toward the two of them, it was certain that she had acted out on purpose because she was in a foul mood. She had hoped Il-gwang would get hit.
Unfortunately, the petty revenge was thwarted by Seong Mu-yeon.
Upon seeing Seong Mu-yeon embracing Peng Do-hwan’s shoulders, Heukmajo’s smile deepened to a chilling degree. Perhaps offended, she overtly raised her aura to pressure Seong Mu-yeon. The surrounding air grew heavy, pressing down on his body viscidly.
“Give me that guy. I need to finish him off. He seems to be a lunatic beyond ordinary levels, so it’ll be a nuisance if I don’t handle him here.”
Heukmajo beckoned with her palm as if asking for an object rather than a person.
At those words, Il-gwang secretly shook his head slightly so that Heukmajo wouldn’t notice. He gazed at him with a heavy look, as if telling him to remember his words.
“….”
Seong Mu-yeon looked down at Peng Do-hwan, who was bleeding from various places.
Despite having lost consciousness, he did not let go of the greatsword in his hand. He was letting out faint groans with his brow deeply furrowed, like someone still in the midst of a fierce battle.
It seemed he had rushed in blindly without even attempting to gauge the level of the new enemy’s martial arts. Blood had rushed to his head to the point where he forgot the basic posture a martial artist must maintain.
The reason Peng Do-hwan had broken down like this was that he had not received a proper explanation even after losing his brother, with whom he had been attached like a twin. No one knew exactly why or how his brother had died.
Left all alone, Peng Do-hwan would have had no choice but to piece together the truth from the rumors people spread.
Seong Mu-yeon was the only witness and party involved who had seen the death from beginning to end. However, no one believed Seong Mu-yeon’s claim that Peng Yuan-jin had harmed himself. Peng Do-hwan must have suspected him as well.
Even so, Peng Do-hwan deserved to know the truth. Yet, Seong Mu-yeon had simply departed, leaving behind countless doubts and suspicions without any explanation.
This is the end of a person who wanders in search of the truth, unable to bring closure to the once-in-a-lifetime event of losing a loved one.
“Hm? Why are you staying still? Are you resisting right now?”
Heukmajo smiled, circling around as if amused. Her smile instantly took on a cruel light.
“….”
Seong Mu-yeon could not make a decision. In his head, he thought it was right to turn away with his eyes and ears closed, as he could not stop everything that happened in the world, just as Il-gwang had advised. However, he did not have a heart cold enough to leave the younger brother to die after the elder brother.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to deal with both of you.”
Heukmajo’s patience was not very long. As she stood up, an eerie black demonic energy coiled around her hands. It was the Asura Black Demonic Claw technique, which had earned her the title Heukmajo, possessing the power to crush a human skull with bare hands.
“Heukmajo!”
Il-gwang shouted, startled.
“That man is Yak Seon’s servant! Have you forgotten the unspoken rule that you must not touch that side!”
Il-gwang reprimanded Heukmajo, despite the fact that he himself had tried to eliminate Seong Mu-yeon while believing he was merely a servant.
“Oh my, I didn’t know you cared about such trivial things. What’s wrong? Timid men aren’t popular.”
“Do you think this is a joke? If Yak Seon reverses his seclusion and declares total war, the entire Central Plains will point their blades at us. We already have limited freedom of movement because the orthodox sect bastards are flexing their power; do you intend to give them a pretext to search and annihilate all our branches hidden in the orthodox sect’s backyard?”
Despite Il-gwang’s razor-sharp warning, Heukmajo was not shaken at all.
“That’s why it’s more fun. If I kill both of them here and bury them, they won’t even find the bodies, so who would know?”
Rather, as if further excited by the precarious tension, a deep desire flashed in her gaze toward Seong Mu-yeon and Peng Do-hwan.