By Zephyria 
HF 68
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As a crimson light flickered in the Cult Leader’s eyes, Han Hee-ryeong hurried to speak.
“That…! Young Master Wi. There is a rule that the guards of the Divine Cult must remain loyal only to their duties. Thus, they do not form personal attachments. You may simply call him Guard.”
“Ah… is that so.”
Ho-yeon looked disappointed, as if he hadn’t considered that far. Pffft! Tae-pyeong let out a massive snort of air, as if signaling it was time to leave. His nostrils were so large in proportion to his body that the amount of air he inhaled in a single breath seemed substantial. Ho-yeon wondered if that was why he could sprint like crazy.
Ho-yeon gazed at Tae-pyeong for a moment before speaking the words that had been stuck in his throat like a thorn.
“The Cult Leader…”
The guard, who was pulling Tae-pyeong’s reins, shifted his gaze to Ho-yeon.
“Is it really alright to leave without paying our respects?”
“It is fine. The Cult Leader has granted permission.”
Han Hee-ryeong nodded.
“Then… please tell him thank you for everything.”
Ho-yeon looked a bit crestfallen, but he shook it off by forcing a smile. Not a single snap of a finger passed before he bid farewell to the Cult Leader.
Then, saying “Wait a moment,” he dashed over and spent a long time exchanging farewells with Abok. Han Hee-ryeong raised his voice at the ominous, chilly aura emanating from behind him.
“Abok! You must let the Young Master go now!”
The one who looked startled, as if he were the one being scolded, was Ho-yeon. Feeling as though Abok had been reprimanded because of him, Ho-yeon quickly pressed a piece of silk cloth into Abok’s hand.
“I only embroidered it for a short time, so it might be poor. But it’s my sincere gesture.”
Without even receiving a proper thank you from Abok, Ho-yeon hurried back to Tae-pyeong. The silk cloth in Abok’s hand was a blindfold, embroidered by Ho-yeon himself with a snow lotus flower.
Actually, he had embroidered one for Mu-gyeong as well, but he had to leave it tucked away in his own robes. Even if a pet dog were going to another house, it would be right to come out and see it off, yet Mu-gyeong was truly cold-hearted, as if he had lost all affection for him.
Then again, how could affection grow for such an arrogant hostage? If anything, he should be grateful for being allowed to leave alive. Ho-yeon deliberately pushed thoughts of Mu-gyeong far away. Since he was being sent to the Ice Palace, it was only right to leave happily.
“Ah!”
Mu-gyeong suddenly grabbed the lingering Ho-yeon and hoisted him onto Tae-pyeong. Startled by the sudden ascent, Ho-yeon gripped the saddle tightly. Then, Mu-gyeong mounted behind him. In that moment, Ho-yeon tilted his head in confusion.
Previously, he had mistaken this man—who shared no resemblance whatsoever—for Cheon Mu-gyeong. Yet, for some reason, the body heat he felt from behind now felt like Mu-gyeong’s warmth, and he couldn’t understand why.
As Tae-pyeong stamped his front hooves, Ho-yeon quickly turned his head and added,
“I’ll definitely repay the favor once we arrive at the Ice Palace! Thank you all for everything—urk!”
As he raised his voice while looking back, the man immediately spurred Tae-pyeong forward. Fearing he might fall, Ho-yeon gripped the saddle firmly once more.
“I look forward to working with you, Guard!”
Despite everything, Ho-yeon shouted his greeting with a friendly voice. A slanted sneer lingered on Mu-gyeong’s lips.
* * *
After stopping at Mist Valley for one night, the rest of the journey consisted of camping. Before entering Mist Valley, they had to find sleep-fire grass in the mountains to dye their hair the color of acorns. This was because it would be unwise to attract the attention of others.
When he had previously traveled from the North Sea to the entrance of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, it had taken well over a month. At that time, they had used a carriage and had a fair number of people, so it took that long regardless of how fast they moved. Fortunately, it seemed time would be saved now.
It would be ideal to ride Tae-pyeong all the way to the Ice Palace, but no matter how powerful a legendary horse he was, traveling that distance would be excessive abuse. That was likely why Han Hee-ryeong told him to ride Tae-pyeong only until they left the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
More than that, the guard accompanying him on the journey was truly silent. To the point where Ho-yeon wondered if he were mute, like the blind Abok.
He did manage to hear his voice at the Mist Valley inn, and it was a voice full of a metallic rasp. It didn’t sound bad, but it felt as though his throat would be damaged quickly if he spoke too much.
Thus, Ho-yeon did all the talking, and he wasn’t disappointed even when he received no answer. Ho-yeon chattered incessantly to stave off boredom.
The Guard will probably need to get thick leather clothes before entering the North Sea. Isn’t Tae-pyeong amazing for carrying two men of such large build? Oh, I gave him the name Tae-pyeong because I thought he didn’t have a fancy name like Gwangcheon Black Horse.
The guard gave no response, but since he didn’t tell him to be quiet or seem annoyed, Ho-yeon thought the atmosphere was not bad. He believed they would arrive at the Ice Palace peacefully. That is, until an arrow flew toward Tae-pyeong’s rump.
Tae-pyeong moved his legs with great vigor to dodge the incoming arrow. Then, he let out a rough, angry neigh! Only then did the arrow go thwack! into a tree trunk, prompting Ho-yeon to hurriedly look around.
Because they were running so fast, Ho-yeon hadn’t sensed any presence, but bandits were now blocking the entire path. He couldn’t tell if they had read their movements or if they had been lying in ambush waiting for someone to stumble upon them.
The moment the arrow flew, the guard had pulled Tae-pyeong’s reins. As Tae-pyeong snorted and tried to charge straight into the bandits, the guard forced him back with strength. While Tae-pyeong trotted in place a few times, the bandits gradually closed the distance.
There were quite a few of them, armed with swords, axes, and unknown pieces of iron dangling from their fists. Ho-yeon became conscious of the pouch of gold coins in his robes. It would be great if it could be settled with money, but it was certain they would try to steal Tae-pyeong as well.
Since Ho-yeon was sitting in front of the guard, he was in a position where he could easily become a human shield. A faint demonic energy began to seep from the man in the center of the bandits. Ho-yeon had encountered that energy, which resembled thick blood, a few times at the Jade Pavilion.
Just because someone practiced a demonic art didn’t mean they were all cultists. There were those who had been put on the wanted list by the Demon Sect for committing crimes, and some who had abandoned their status as cultists to hide from pursuit.
They became bandits or thieves, plundering people. Since raiding villages carried significant risks, most of them hid in the mountains and lived as bandits.
The man who appeared to be the leader, a sallow-skinned man, did not hide his demonic energy. He was openly trying to overwhelm them with his presence. Had he recognized the Gwangcheon Black Horse, he would have fled, abandoning his base, but the leader had never seen the current Cult Leader or his horse. Having fled after killing ordinary cultists over a decade ago, he had no way of knowing.
“I’ll help too.”
This was at the same moment Ho-yeon reached for the oiled-paper umbrella he carried at his side like a sword.
“Hold on tight.”
A metallic rasp brushed past his ear, and before he could say a word, the guard stepped off the horse. As if that were a signal, Tae-pyeong began to charge forward fiercely. However, the one who moved his body faster than Tae-pyeong was the guard.
Sshring! Drawing his sword, he sliced through a bandit’s waist with pure strength, without even coating the blade in sword qi.
He didn’t stop at one; he sliced through the bodies of those blocking the path several times, and Tae-pyeong, following the guard, leaped over the corpses while carrying Ho-yeon. Even seeing it with his own eyes, it was a level of lightfoot technique that was hard to believe. How could he be faster than a horse? And not just any horse, but Tae-pyeong.
Han Hee-ryeong had said his guard possessed the greatest martial prowess in the Demon Sect, but Ho-yeon had thought he was exaggerating to put him at ease. However, it seemed there was no exaggeration at all. As he moved away from the guard, Ho-yeon looked back several times. The guard’s sword immediately pierced the forehead of a bandit who had been aiming an arrow at him.
Strangely, he did not deal with the leader first, but instead slaughtered the other bandits around him with single strokes. The bandits’ necks and limbs flew off as if they were pieces of paper. It was a scene of one-sided slaughter. In the mountains where curses had been rampant, only screams remained.
Since they had run all over the forest paths, the guard and the bandits were no longer in sight. Gripping the saddle tightly, Ho-yeon turned his head back, fearing his neck might snap because of the wild Tae-pyeong.
But wouldn’t it be a problem if he just kept riding Tae-pyeong and drifted away forever? Just as Ho-yeon grabbed the reins to slow down, Tae-pyeong suddenly veered in a different direction.
“Hey, hey! Tae-pyeong!”
Where is he going now? Ho-yeon already had a history of being forcibly dragged to the Heavenly Demon Hall because of the willful Tae-pyeong. Since they had run all over the forest, the guard was completely out of sight. Tae-pyeong charged forward fiercely, as if he were going for a stroll somewhere else.
“Gwangcheon Black Horse! Gwangcheon! Black Horse!”
He wondered if Tae-pyeong wasn’t listening because he didn’t think of that as his name. But no matter how he called, it was useless. Tae-pyeong ran through the thick brush like a mad horse.
Just as he thought he would be hopelessly lost at the edge of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the guard suddenly appeared in his sight. It was a different direction from where he had run, but Tae-pyeong had commendably found him on his own.
Had it been a full dakyung? No, it hadn’t even been a quarter of that. Perhaps the time he spent dealing with the bandits was closer to a single snap of a finger. The guard, who had faced the bandits with pure strength without using any demonic energy, stood among the corpses.
Perhaps the Cult Leader had intentionally assigned someone who didn’t use demonic energy as his guard. Thinking deeply, it made sense. There was no guarantee the road to the Ice Palace would be smooth, so there would be no benefit in revealing himself as a member of the Demon Sect.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
He looked perfectly fine, but Ho-yeon asked just in case. However, Ho-yeon had to shout from atop Tae-pyeong. Tae-pyeong, who had slowed down and was plodding toward the guard, suddenly lowered his head. Then, with a crunch, he chewed on the head of a bandit who had already become a corpse.
It was the bandit who had an arrow on his shoulder. It seemed he was punishing the one who had tried to shoot his rump.
Horrified, Ho-yeon struggled to climb down from the considerable height of Tae-pyeong. He rushed toward the guard, deliberately avoiding looking at the corpses beneath him.
“Fortunately, it seems you aren’t hurt.”
After checking the guard’s body, Ho-yeon let out a sigh of relief and managed a smile. Blood was only smeared on the guard’s sword.
“By any chance… did you practice external arts? You are truly amazing. Thanks to you, I feel much more secure on the way to the North Sea.”
Since he had dealt with someone emitting demonic energy using simple physical force, he was undoubtedly a master. Of course, if a bigger problem occurred, Ho-yeon intended to lend his own strength. Thanks to Mu-gyeong, his dantian had stabilized to some extent, so he wouldn’t faint even if he drew his energy to the peak.
“You’re quite obsessed with martial arts.”
The guard brushed off the remaining blood from his sword. At the harsh, metallic voice, Ho-yeon blinked. He had to ask, “Excuse me?” to make sure he had heard correctly.
“External arts, my foot. I was born this way. Just stupidly strong.”
It was a truly unsociable way of speaking.