By Zephyria Is this living? (3)
“Go back and continue your begging.”
“Begging is an everyday thing, so what… But Heartless Sword Great Hero, I’ve been dying of curiosity, what’s your relationship with Seong Mu-yeon?”
“Leave.”
“Please, can’t you tell me? I can’t sleep because I’m so curious!”
Hong-gae was persistent. No matter how much he was scared, he quickly followed. The constant chatter made the subsided headache seem to rise again.
“…But it seems like he’s not here now?”
Baek Ryeo-il glanced around and asked.
“Yes! He left in a hurry.”
“Where to?”
“I can’t tell you because he told me not to.”
Hong-gae, who had been chattering away until just now, now closed his mouth like a clam. Still, he diligently moved his feet and followed Baek Ryeo-il closely.
But he soon started chattering again.
“So, did you have some kind of grudge? Did you borrow money and run away? Well, I don’t know if a Taoist has any money. What is it? That guy didn’t seem like an ordinary beggar either.”
Baek Ryeo-il felt a fire burning inside. Just as Baek Ryeo-il, whose patience had run out, clenched his fist, “Hong-gae! Master Baek!”
A fellow beggar came running, panting.
“Hee, hee. I’m glad. You haven’t left yet, Master Baek! Something terrible has happened! Please help us!”
“What’s wrong?”
“There have been several missing person cases in the vicinity recently, right?”
“How would I know that? I’m not from here.”
Baek Ryeo-il replied indifferently.
“Anyway, there were! I thought the authorities would take care of it, but it seems like it’s not a normal thing!”
Baek Ryeo-il suddenly thought of Seong Mu-yeon.
He was the first person he thought of as someone who would do strange and bizarre things.
“Tell me in detail.”
“Yesterday, the Young master of Namgung Clan disappeared near here!”
Pshhh, the air went out of him. Baek Ryeo-il rapidly lost interest, turned into a dead fish, and turned away.
“Okay, I heard you. Then I’ll be going.”
“M-Master! The Namgung Young master may be in danger! Namgung Clan has urgently requested support! Won’t you help?”
“It’s Namgung Clan. They’re a great family, so they’ll take care of it themselves.”
Baek Ryeo-il left the beggars behind and quickly left the place. Normally, he would have rushed to make fun of the Namgung Clan guys, but he was not in the mood to do so.
Baek Ryeo-il trudged into any tavern he could see.
“Haa…”
“Oh my, young man, why does your face look so rotten?”
The tavern owner clicked his tongue.
Baek Ryeo-il didn’t answer and repeatedly downed strong liquor.
“Looks like you got dumped by your lover.”
“What are you talking about! That’s not it!”
Baek Ryeo-il got angry, and the owner shook his head with a pitiful expression.
“I said that’s not it!”
He shouted at the back of the departing tavern owner, but he didn’t even listen. No matter how angry he got or how much he drank, he couldn’t shake off the feeling.
Glug, glug, glug.
‘Should I chase after him, or not.’
In the end, that was the worry.
The Myriad Mile Tracking Incense buried on Seong Mu-yeon had already dissipated long ago.
It wouldn’t be easy to track him down, but he could find him if he put in the time and effort. He could also get help from the beggars.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
Baek Ryeo-il shuddered at the taste of the liquor, which felt bitter today.
At that time, Seong Mu-yeon was…
Locked in a prison.
“…Damn it, I really got kidnapped.”
The incident happened three days ago.
He got rid of his beggar appearance and started acting like an ordinary commoner.
Wearing rough cotton clothes and his hair tied up roughly, he looked exactly like a country youth. He also created a setting that he ran away from home because he was tired of living in the countryside.
He got a ride on a baggage cart and arrived in a bustling capital city.
But before he could even get off the cart, his vision suddenly blurred. Someone had put a sack over his head.
And so, when he came to his senses, he was locked in a prison in some basement.
“…Is this living?”
What’s wrong with this country? Does law and order even exist? The merchants who gave him a ride on the baggage cart just seemed kind, but who knew they would stab him in the back like this…
Sniff…
He missed Il-gwang and the Black Shadow Unit’s escort just a little.
He had no idea where this was or what this place was. In addition to the prison he was locked in, there were several iron bars lined up in the hallway.
And…
“Ugh.”
A man lay tied up next to him, occasionally groaning.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
“…Do I look okay?”
“No.”
The man’s appearance was not normal. His clothes were stained with blood, and he was covered in bruises and wounds. It was a creepy thought that he might soon be living with a corpse.
“How did you get like that?”
The man didn’t answer. He seemed to have a strong sense of pride at a glance, and he seemed to be ashamed of being caught like this.
On the other hand, Seong Mu-yeon was unharmed.
That’s because he didn’t resist at all when he was caught. Although, it should be said that he didn’t have the ability to do so.
“Hey, young hero. Can you untie these bonds?”
“Let me take a look.”
Seong Mu-yeon approached the man and examined him closely.
‘Ugh, it hurts just looking at it.’
He tried not to look closely at the wounds and tried to untie the rope binding the man. But it was tied so tightly that it didn’t budge.
“Try harder.”
“I’m trying my best…! I can’t. It’s not just a rope. It seems to be made by twisting wire into a straw rope.”
“Damn bastards…”
The man spat out harsh curses through his teeth.
Seong Mu-yeon, who had become dizzy from using his strength for a long time, leaned against the wall.
“…Do you know where this is?”
When Seong Mu-yeon asked, the man nodded.
“It’s a mountain range near Changsha, Hunan Province. Damn it, I need to let them know I’m here.”
He didn’t seem like an ordinary person like himself. He was covered in wounds as if he had fought a battle. He was wearing clothes made of good material. The hair ornament was also expensive, although it was disheveled.
“How did you get caught?”
“…I was separated from my colleagues while chasing the bastards, and it seems they took advantage of that. They rushed at me all at once, and I was helpless.”
“Then do you know who these guys are?”
Seong Mu-yeon was surprised.
The people locked in the other prisons seemed to be ordinary commoners who had been dragged here without knowing anything, like himself. But the man had been caught fighting on his own feet.
“Yes, haven’t there been a series of missing person cases near Hunan recently? These bastards did it.”
The man gritted his teeth.
“It’s one of the Demonic Cult’s branches.”
“…”
Seong Mu-yeon rubbed his forehead.
‘…I had a feeling, but of course.’
“Oh, you seem surprised. Don’t worry too much. My colleagues will come to rescue me soon.”
The man quickly added, thinking that Seong Mu-yeon was frightened.
“Our Namgung Clan is not easily defeated. Trust Namgung Clan.”
“Namgung Clan? Did you say Namgung Clan?”
The man smiled confidently.
“Yes, my name is Namgung Cheon-chu.”
“…”
“Namgung Cheon-chu.”
“Namgung… Cheon-chu?”
Namgung Cheon-chu looked at him with a shocked face.
“…Don’t you know? My name? No way. Did you live in some remote area? It’s me. The Young master of Namgung Clan!”
Seong Mu-yeon was sweating profusely. It was true that he had lived in a remote area. Do you know the Demonic Cult of Xinjiang…?
“Anyway, the rescue team will be here soon, so don’t worry.”
“Ah, yes…”
It was truly absurd. He was the Seventh Young master of the Demonic Cult, but he was kidnapped by the Demonic Cult’s branch guys.
And even Namgung Clan.
But strangely, Seong Mu-yeon had never heard of Namgung Cheon-chu’s name.
‘The Young master of Namgung Clan… Ah!’
He remembered.
In the original story, the last force to join the Demon Subjugation Squad led by Baek Ryeo-il was Namgung Clan. They had almost fallen, but barely rebuilt their family and followed with their swords.
Avenge the Young master!
That’s right.
The Namgung Clan’s Young master died at the hands of the Demonic Cult. The fact that Namgung Clan learned of this and rashly moved to take revenge was the root cause. Namgung Clan lost the battle and was almost wiped out in a counterattack.
‘Namgung Cheon-chu was supposed to die here.’
Seong Mu-yeon looked at Namgung Cheon-chu with new eyes. If he hadn’t died, Namgung Clan wouldn’t have fallen, and if that had happened, the orthodox sect could have ended the war sooner with a strong support force.
‘Anyway, those Demonic Cult bastards are the problem.’
Seong Mu-yeon decided to save him. The sooner the war ended, the sooner he could live a peaceful rural life.
But there was one problem.
“Young master Namgung, what do you think of the Demonic Cult?”
Namgung Cheon-chu gritted his teeth.
“What do I think? They’re bastards who deserve to be chewed up, of course. I will never let this humiliation pass. I will show them a hell worse than hellfire. Absolutely!”
“…Yes. I knew you would say that.”
“Filthy bastards! Bastards who deserve to be torn to pieces!”
Namgung Cheon-chu continued to spew out harsh curses.
Judging from that, his life seemed to be in danger the moment Seong Mu-yeon revealed that he was the Young master of the Demonic Cult.