By Zephyria 
The terrain consisted of narrow, long mine tunnels intricately intertwined; it was too much for Seong Mu-yeon, who was unfamiliar with the layout, to handle numerous enemies alone. If he were to be cornered in a dead end by mistake, it would be the end.
Judging by the fact that he hadn’t smelled a single breath of fresh air since arriving here, he guessed they were quite deep within the abandoned mine.
Even if he used stealth or concealment techniques to hide from sight, it would be useless in such a cramped space. If he were to collide with someone in an empty void, even a three-year-old would realize there was a hidden person there.
Seong Mu-yeon gnashed his teeth and glared at the back of Peng Yuan-jin’s head.
‘Use me as a material for a Spirit Pill? Who gave him permission?’
He felt it would be better to quickly take his own life before such a miserable fate befell him. Wouldn’t that be a masterstroke—preserving his dignity while giving these bastards the middle finger?
After finishing a serious consultation with the physician, Peng Yuan-jin dismissed the medical staff. Only two Demonic humans guarding the entrance, the Peng brothers, and Seong Mu-yeon remained inside the cold cave.
Peng Yuan-jin let out a light sigh as if shaking off his worries, and only then did he turn his head, seemingly remembering Seong Mu-yeon.
“Do-hwan’s condition is quite serious, so I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a bit, Young Master. Extracting a Spirit Pill requires quite a bit of preparation. I don’t think I’ll have the leisure to worry about such things.”
Seong Mu-yeon clicked his tongue at the apologetic smile Peng Yuan-jin wore.
Peng Do-hwan’s attitude hadn’t changed at all. He was exactly the same as he was three years ago, when his integrity shone through his actions and speech, evoking natural admiration.
That was why it was even more chilling.
Does it make any sense to ask for understanding because he’s sorry he can’t kill him faster?
The man he thought was a handsome gentleman turned out to be the most twisted lunatic in the Central Plains.
“By the way. I suspect Young Master Seong played a large part in Do-hwan being pushed to this state. Am I correct?”
“Ex—Excuse me?”
“I don’t think it’s very common for a situation to arise where Do-hwan exhausts all his inner force and is forced to draw upon his Innate True Qi. And seeing as Young Master Seong Mu-yeon happened to be with him…”
“…What are you trying to say?”
Seong Mu-yeon felt the conversation drifting in a strange direction. It wasn’t just a delusion; Peng Yuan-jin was fixing his gaze on him, approaching step by step, like a predator cornering a mouse.
“Do-hwan is a child with a sense of chivalry. Moreover, his talent is outstanding. If he was pushed to this extent… it must have been a situation where he had to win even if it meant dying. For example, a situation where the enemy who killed his brother appeared before his eyes.”
“…”
As Peng Do-hwan’s voice gradually sank lower, Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t help but feel tense.
He was tied up in an abandoned mine with no way out, like a rat in a trap, and his opponent was the man who had just declared he would kill him to extract his Jin-gi.
Furthermore, Peng Yuan-jin was also of the Habeok Peng Clan bloodline. Even if not as much as Peng Do-hwan, who knew if he had inherited the family trait of being incredibly hot-tempered? Since he was a man who could fake his own death, couldn’t he easily fake his personality as well?
Seong Mu-yeon broke into a cold sweat at the thought that Peng Yuan-jin, blinded by rage over his brother’s injuries, might suddenly lunge at him to kill him.
“…Please calm down for now.”
As he backed away bit by bit, his back eventually hit the cold rock wall.
“Why is that? I am calmer than anyone. It seems you are the one who is agitated, Young Master.”
“…Then stop and don’t come any closer.”
Stop.
Peng Yuan-jin came to a halt.
“Are you worried that I might kill you? Rest assured, that won’t happen. I told you that extracting a Spirit Pill requires quite a bit of preparation.”
Peng Yuan-jin gave a soft, soothing smile.
“However, since Young Master Seong Mu-yeon is exceptionally cunning, there is a high risk of escape. I think I’ll feel more at ease if I just cut your leg tendons. Otherwise, aren’t you the type of person who would find a way to escape regardless?”
See! He really is a lunatic!
Seong Mu-yeon screamed internally and pressed himself flat against the wall.
What do I do?
The sword he had stolen from the Black Shadow Unit was already gone, and Peng Yuan-jin possessed a mysterious ability that allowed him to achieve his goals without even lifting a finger, let alone engaging in a contest of strength.
He had overcome numerous crises in his life, but this was the first time he had faced such a desperate situation, trapped with no way forward or backward.
“Stop rolling your eyes. There is no way out anyway. The pain will end quickly, so please bear with it for a moment.”
Peng Yuan-jin drew a dagger with a flashing, sharp blade from his waist.
Even the Demonic humans on guard were slowly surrounding him, closing the distance.
Cutting tendons doesn’t kill a person, but that didn’t mean it was any lighter than death.
If the muscle tendons in the legs are severed, one cannot even stand on their own; if the tendons in the arms are severed, one can never hold a sword again.
For a martial artist, it was equivalent to a death sentence.
Even Yak Seon could not guarantee a cure. Even if the severed tendons were somehow reattached, there was no telling how many years of secluded meditation would be required to heal to a level where one could lead a normal daily life.
“Wa—Wait a moment! Young Master Peng, instead of rushing into this, let’s talk more calmly…”
“Is there anything left to say? I have nothing.”
Seong Mu-yeon faced them without even blinking. He worried that, as he had experienced before, if he blinked for a split second, his tendons might be severed before he knew it.
Fortunately, Peng Yuan-jin didn’t seem to be indiscriminately abusing the power of the Flowering Bone, as he slowly closed the perimeter.
It was then.
K-boom—!
A thunderous roar and vibration that shook the very earth struck the cavern. The impact wasn’t limited to where Seong Mu-yeon was; numerous screams erupted from somewhere, both far and near.
Just as Peng Yuan-jin frowned in confusion and looked toward the ceiling, a man who appeared to be a subordinate rushed into the cavern.
“It’s an attack! Someone is attacking the Demon Subjugation Valley from the outside!”
“Ah, it seems they’ve come to find Young Master Seong Mu-yeon.”
Peng Yuan-jin wore a deep smile. Simultaneously, a second explosion was heard. This time, the sound came from a bit further away.
“They seem quite angry. It looks like they want to completely flatten this place.”
Peng Yuan-jin put his dagger away without hesitation.
“It’s a pity, but I’ll have to pause what I was doing for a moment. I’ll finish helping you after I tidy up the outside.”
“Helping my ass?! I don’t need it, so get lost!”
“My, I didn’t realize you were such a foul-mouthed person. Anyway… I’ll have to settle for this for now.”
“Ke-heok!”
Suddenly, Peng Yuan-jin’s divine form blurred, and Seong Mu-yeon collapsed after receiving a massive blow to the abdomen. Peng Yuan-jin’s fist had already slammed into his stomach.
“I’ve placed a sealing technique on your inner force. Do not act rashly and wait quietly.”
“Just… try touching him… huff…”
Seong Mu-yeon gasped for air, feeling a pain as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. Despite the shock of the blow and the lack of breath causing physiological tears to fill his eyes, he stubbornly spat out each word.
“With that body?”
Peng Yuan-jin smiled brightly and swept out of the room.
‘Damn it… Sealing technique my foot. That was just venting.’
He had never heard of such a violent blood point technique. The claim about cutting tendons to prevent escape was undoubtedly personal retaliation against Seong Mu-yeon for putting his brother in that state. It seemed he didn’t want him to have a quick and painless death.
Narrow-minded bastard.
He couldn’t help but resent his own intuition for having misjudged Peng Yuan-jin so thoroughly.
“Huff… huff…”
Even after Peng Yuan-jin had left, Seong Mu-yeon remained sprawled on the floor for a while, catching his breath.
Meanwhile, the sounds of fierce combat continued to echo loudly from outside, and sand powder rained down from the crevices of the rocks due to the vibrations.
Thump.
Eventually, he let the strength leave his body and sprawled out flat on his back.
Boom—! K-boom!
It’s Baek Ryeo-il.
He didn’t even have to look to know who was relentlessly battering the Heaven-Sent Fortress, a place so difficult to even approach.
He had come to save him.
Even after being hurt like that, even after being pushed away, he had come to save him again.
“Haha…”
Though it wasn’t the time to laugh, he couldn’t stop the empty chuckle.
Seong Mu-yeon roughly wiped the mixture of tears and saliva from his face with his sleeve. When he opened his eyes again, they shone fiercely.
‘I was a fool.’
Now that he knew he had been deceived, he felt even more pathetic for having let years slip away in vain, fooled by such lies.
At this moment, he missed him desperately. He resolved that if he made it out of here alive, he would stick to his side and never let go.