Ak Mujin suddenly recalled the moment he parted ways with Chun-wol.
He had pressed something into Ak Mujin’s hand, which he later discovered to be a round pouch filled with something. He had tucked it into his sleeve, intending to examine it properly in bed, but had completely forgotten about it. It seemed to be a protective charm of some sort. Since Ak Mujin could no longer use his Inner Force, Chun-wol had tried to protect him in whatever way he could.
Ak Mujin had been quite concerned about how to deal with the guards, but he couldn’t help but be grateful that they were retreating on their own accord. Ak Mujin inwardly thanked Chun-wol once again, but he had to suppress the laughter that threatened to bubble up.
“You’re really… Haa… Why did you have to do something so unnecessary…”
The man who had rubbed the protective powder directly into his eyes seemed to be shedding tears, then began to pant, drooling with snot and saliva. Unable to bear the sight, the other man had no choice but to lead him out of the room to deal with him.
Finally alone, Ak Mujin’s eyes gleamed as he waited silently for a while. When no one returned after waiting a little longer, he jumped up and began to tidy the bed.
He stuffed pillows and books under the silk blanket, puffing it up to resemble a person lying down, then looked down at the laundry basket. A little powder had scattered, but it would be fine if he didn’t touch it. He carefully took out the clothes, shook them off, and was about to put his foot inside.
Suddenly, he seemed to look around, then quickly ran to grab the decorative sword hanging on the wall. He needed something to defend himself, after all.
Only then did he enter the basket and busily begin to cover himself with the clothes he had taken out. As he did so, yellow powder sprinkled down onto his face.
What is this?
Ak Mujin casually brushed it off and rubbed his eyes.
….
He screamed inwardly. But he had to endure it.
*
Some time passed, and the sound of people entering from outside could be heard again. Ak Mujin, his face smeared with tears, focused to discern the sounds from outside.
“His life is not in danger, but the powder went into his trachea, so he won’t recover quickly. I will report as soon as there is progress in his treatment.”
There were two people who came inside, but it seemed that the man who had been covered in the protective powder had not returned. Ak Mujin had been quite displeased with the man’s behavior, so he felt a sense of satisfaction.
“Thank you, Physician. That guy really… made you suffer from early morning.”
The person called Physician nodded and left the room immediately. Now there was only one guard left in the room.
The guard then realized that he had left the person he was supposed to be guarding alone and hurriedly approached the bed where Ak Mujin was lying.
He glanced down at the laundry basket. He felt a sense of unease, but he didn’t easily notice anything and slightly lifted the cloth covering the bed.
When he saw what looked like a person huddled under the blanket, he finally let out a sigh of relief and trudged back to the table.
“What a strange thing…”
He muttered to himself. How much would people laugh if they heard that a Demonic Cultist had tried to smell the clothes of a Yin Person and was caught by the protective powder? He clicked his tongue, looking at the empty space.
At that moment, a voice was heard from outside the door.
“I’ve come to collect the laundry. May I come in for a moment?”
It was the moment Ak Mujin had been waiting for.
He opened his eyes wide and nervously gripped the sword. Soon, he heard the sound of two women entering, and finally, he felt the basket tilt.
I can finally get out. Ak Mujin wanted to shout with joy.
“Wait.”
But it wasn’t over until it was over.
The guard stopped the women who were about to leave. Then, he seemed to open the lid and put his hand into the basket. The women were startled, but they couldn’t say anything and just looked at each other.
Ak Mujin also covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to make any noise at the touch he felt above his head.
The man looked into the basket for a moment and soon took out the pouch.
“…It wouldn’t be good to touch this.”
The women awkwardly smiled and nodded when they saw the pouch the man had taken out. Seeing the yellow powder on the pouch, they knew well what it was used for.
“Thank you for your concern.”
The women left the room with the basket. Ak Mujin clutched his pounding heart. This is really bad for my heart.
It wasn’t pleasant for the women to carry him in the body of a man, but the women moved without showing any signs of difficulty. Finally, he felt the surroundings brighten as he passed through the secret chamber. By then, in contrast to the silent secret chamber, he began to hear lively voices of people from all directions.
“Hwang-a. If you have laundry, give it here.”
Every time one of the women passed a room, she received laundry and piled it on top of the basket containing Ak Mujin. Ak Mujin was starting to feel breathless, but it seemed that the more laundry there was, the better.
The overflowing basket was soon transferred to the hands of the men, but it took longer than expected to get out of the House of courtesans. Ak Mujin couldn’t let his guard down the whole time. Soon the sun would start to rise, and the guard would surely try to wake Ak Mujin. If that happened, it would be obvious how the situation was unfolding, so it was crucial to get out quickly.
But soon, the refreshing air, felt even amidst the various fabrics, reminded him that he had finally come outside. He had never thought that the voices and laughter of the women and men doing laundry, and the sound of beating laundry, would sound so welcome. He was about to cry. Of course, he had already been crying so much that his eyes were red.
The men gathered the laundry in one place and left. All Ak Mujin had to do now was to watch for an opportunity to leave.
He cautiously looked around and began to crawl out of the basket. And it was when he finally peeked his eyes over the basket.
He made eye contact with someone.
“…”
“…”
“Oh my goodness!”
As soon as the middle-aged woman wearing a headscarf discovered Ak Mujin, she was so surprised that she threw down the laundry in her hand and fell backward. People began to gather one by one at the loud voice.
“Uh, hello? I’m just… just passing by…”
“What is it?”
A large, burly man suddenly came forward. And he frowned at Ak Mujin, who was half out of the basket.
“Is he a Yin Person? Is he daring to run away?”
“No, I’m not affiliated with this place…”
“Catch him!”
As soon as the man shouted, several hands began to reach out to him. Ak Mujin hurriedly got out of the basket and desperately leaped his body.
He tried to leap.
All he did was jump in place. It was because his Inner Force was depleted, and his Agility Technique was not the same as before. It was a problem that he had forgotten that and tried to use his Light Body Skill as a habit.
Ak Mujin had no choice but to put strength in his legs and start running, dodging people here and there.
The laundry basket caught on his foot, and he almost fell over the laundry scattered everywhere, but Ak Mujin ran with all his might towards the stream.
Nearly seven or eight men were catching up to him from behind.
Ak Mujin began to feel sorry for himself. He was too out of breath. The legs that were supporting his weight were also starting to feel heavier, and as he tried to escape across the stream, he was even more exhausted thanks to the waterlogged clothes.
Is it fortunate that the men chasing him were not Martial Arts experts? They also seemed to be having a hard time crossing the stream.
“Stop!”
“How dare you run away from the Fragrant Flower Pavilion!”
No, that’s not it! I’m just… anyway, I’m not that kind of person! Ak Mujin somewhat sympathized with Chun-wol’s position, but now he realized how desperate he must have felt when he first entered the House of courtesans.
Ak Mujin, who had somehow escaped the stream, began to climb the hillside, panting. He couldn’t understand why there was another hill.
The moment he barely reached the top, a rope was wrapped around his ankle.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Ak Mujin fell to the ground and was dragged along. He looked down at the pain in his wrapped leg and saw that there was a hook at the end of the rope, digging into his flesh.
Just as he was groaning softly and trying to untie it, this time another hook wrapped around his upper arm. Naturally, his upper body was pulled by a strong force, and as he endured the pain and turned around, he saw Elder Yeo running towards him.
Is this the end of the escape…?
Well, he’s come this far. In the first place, he couldn’t escape from a skilled person like Elder Yeo.
At that moment, when Ak Mujin’s eyes were filled with despair, a blue light seemed to be reflected from beyond the hill, and all the ropes that were binding Ak Mujin were cut.