By Zephyria Sixth Young Master (4)
“Them? Did they leave?”
“Yes, Luzhu.”
The Immortal Moon Tower, with its lights off.
After Janggwi left, Luzhu, now alone, twisted his face fiercely.
‘That bastard was really a Young master of the Demonic Cult?’
He hadn’t lied.
It was true that he had become sworn brothers with Seong Mu-jae by chance, and it was also true that he had run away with Gold Coins in debt.
‘Nothing has gone right since I met that Seong Mu-jae.’
He had prided himself on living a pretty good life. His business was thriving, and his family was harmonious. But who would have known that Seong Mu-jae, whom he had thought was just a young master from an ordinary family, would be the one to bring such a huge upheaval to his life?
“Luzhu.”
“Heok.”
When did he arrive? A man in black clothes, who had not been there before, stood upright in the room as if he had been there from the start.
Luzhu prostrated himself before him.
“Y-y-you’ve come.”
“Did you find him?”
“W-we’re looking for him right now! We’ll find him soon!”
“I told you. If you don’t find him, you, your family, and this wine house will all be finished.”
That’s right. Seong Mu-yeon wasn’t the only one looking for Seong Mu-jae.
A few days after Seong Mu-jae disappeared, this man appeared before him. He had appeared suddenly, just like now, and ordered him to find Seong Mu-jae. He didn’t do anything, but Luzhu was overwhelmed by the indescribable fear emanating from his presence. It was the instinct of the weak.
He thought of the handsome Young master he had met during the day.
‘……Was it Seventh Young Master, I think?’
The Young master, who looked surprisingly like Seong Mu-jae, didn’t seem like a member of the Demonic Cult at all on the surface.
“I-I have something to tell you. Today, a man calling himself the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult came to see me……”
Wouldn’t this man be more plausible as a member of the Demonic Cult?
The ghostly man, who had infiltrated Luzhu’s room without the guards noticing, was wrapped in black cloth, with only his eyes showing. The long scar between his exposed eyes was striking.
He hadn’t revealed his origins or said anything about Seong Mu-jae, so Luzhu thought that Seong Mu-jae was just running away from the hatred of some dangerous person.
“Perhaps…… are you also from the Demonic Cult?”
The black-clothed man’s cold gaze was fixed on Luzhu.
“S-sorry.”
He quickly averted his gaze, but now he was convinced that something was starting to fall into place. This man must also be a member of the Demonic Cult.
“You do your job. I’ll give you ten more days.”
“Yes……!”
The black-clothed man disappeared into the darkness with a rustle.
‘Damn bastard. What did I do wrong?’
With trembling legs, Luzhu fumbled to the table and gulped down plain water.
‘……By the way, something big must have happened inside the Demonic Cult.’
It didn’t seem like the black-clothed man and Seong Mu-yeon were working together.
What a bolt from the blue.
He had only taken in a person out of pure kindness, and now he was going through such hardships.
In the meantime, Luzhu had made every effort to find Seong Mu-jae, but to no avail, and time continued to pass.
The man called Seventh Young Master who appeared today could be a variable. Luzhu desperately hoped that he would find Seong Mu-jae. Of course, the bodyguard who was protecting him also seemed formidable, but he had to find the person first so that he could intercept him or do whatever it took to save his life, right?
“Wake up.”
Baek Ryeo-il yanked the blanket away. Seong Mu-yeon felt the cold and curled up. He barely opened his heavy eyelids and looked around, and it was still dawn.
“Let me sleep a little more……”
Then Baek Ryeo-il simply removed the blanket. Seong Mu-yeon struggled, resisting Baek Ryeo-il, who was trying to force him up.
“The Immortal Moon Tower doesn’t open until noon. Just leave me alone.”
“You have to train.”
At those words, Seong Mu-yeon’s mind cleared.
“Why, why? Did Yak Seon come?”
He raised his head, wondering if the impatient Yak Seon had come running without waiting. But there were only two people in the room.
Baek Ryeo-il picked up Seong Mu-yeon and threw him into the Training hall.
“Why are you doing this!”
“It doesn’t matter whether Yak Seon is here or not. I’ve also realized something in the meantime. You need to build up your stamina.”
“Ughhhhh!”
Baek Ryeo-il was more, if not less, severe than Yak Seon. Seong Mu-yeon felt that Baek Ryeo-il was demanding a level of training that was comparable to the training that Gang Woong received.
When the training was over, he took Seong Mu-yeon, who was trembling like a newborn fawn, to the dining hall.
‘……They say that when a person suddenly changes, it means they’re about to die.’
Seong Mu-yeon thought as he forced down the mountain of breakfast.
In the meantime, Baek Ryeo-il had been brainwashed by Yak Seon or something, and was tormenting him in the same way.
……Hmm. On second thought, Baek Ryeo-il had always tormented him, so nothing had really changed.
While Seong Mu-yeon was being tormented, Gang Woong seemed to have made new friends and was chatting with the Flying Swallow Sect disciples. They seemed to have a lot of questions for Gang Woong, who had come from headquarters, and they kept bombarding him with questions.
It didn’t take long for their curiosity to shift to Seong Mu-yeon. He could feel the hesitant gazes of boys and girls around Gang Woong’s age spying on him.
It was then that the Flying Swallow Sect disciples were about to approach.
Thud.
Baek Ryeo-il unsheathed his sword and placed it on the table with a thud. It was a clear sign that they should not come any closer. The startled disciples scattered, and Gang Woong also drooped his shoulders in disappointment.
“Why did you do that? You should have just let them be.”
“Where do we have time to argue unnecessarily? We’re busy looking for Sixth Young Master.”
Baek Ryeo-il said that as if it were nothing and focused on his meal.
What’s really going on?
But Seong Mu-yeon didn’t have time to think about it any further. After that, the three of them met almost everyone working at the wine house and questioned them about various things.
After two days passed without any particular gain, Baek Ryeo-il’s patience finally ran out.
“How long are we going to sit here and listen to stories?”
“But there’s no other way, is there?”
“Why isn’t there?”
Baek Ryeo-il jumped up.
“What are you going to do! You can’t just beat people up!”
“What do you take me for? Wait! I’ll bring back some useful information!”
Bang!
He slammed the door of the private room shut and went somewhere.
“……That guy.”
Seong Mu-yeon sighed softly.
He didn’t know how much money they had spent ordering the expensive food and drinks that were spread out on the table. It wouldn’t have been a waste if he thought of it as the price of his life, but it seemed insufficient to open people’s mouths.
“I thought that since Young master had been here for almost a month, he would have made friends with someone. But I guess I was wrong.”
“Young master, don’t be too disheartened. I’m here for you.”
Gang Woong offered a weak consolation. Seong Mu-yeon gave a weak smile.
“Master Baek, I’m sorry, but could you get me some tea? I don’t want to call anyone.”
“Of course! Just wait a moment. I’ll bring it to you right away!”
Gang Woong left the room and headed downstairs. The upper floor was quiet because it had private rooms for wealthy guests, but the noise grew louder as he went downstairs.
Even though it wasn’t sunset yet, the first floor was crowded with customers, and the workers were busy moving around.
Gang Woong carefully poked his head into the kitchen.
“Excuse me……. Is anyone there?”
“Oh, Warrior! What brings you here?”
“……Our Young master wants to drink some tea.”
“You could have just called. Why did you come down yourself? Just a moment. I’ll prepare it for you right away.”
The kitchen was just as busy. Gang Woong leaned against the counter and watched them work.
“Aren’t you going to get scolded by the owner if you don’t go quickly? What should I do? The kitchen is busy.”
“It’s okay.”
Despite the cold weather, the kitchen was filled with stuffy heat. The cook was sweating profusely and constantly stir-frying something.
He glanced at Gang Woong, who was waiting quietly, and spoke to him.
“Life isn’t easy, is it? It’s hard to serve the higher-ups, and you’re always short on money. But at least you can use a sword, so it’s not as bad as us.”
“Haha……. Well, yeah.”
Gang Woong awkwardly rolled his eyes. Then he made up his mind and sighed exaggeratedly.
“Actually……. Young master has become a bit sensitive……”
“Oh, why?”
“He doesn’t think he’ll be able to find the person he’s looking for.”
“Does that mean he’s taking it out on this young Warrior? Geez. That’s just like the higher-ups.”
The cook seemed to have misunderstood something, but Gang Woong deliberately didn’t correct him. Just before leaving the private room, Seong Mu-yeon had told him something.
〈I think Master Gang can help.〉
〈Me? How?〉
〈To them, I’m a Young master. So they might be hiding real information because they’re afraid of getting caught in the crossfire between the higher-ups. It’s easier to talk to someone similar. But Master Baek is…….〉
Seong Mu-yeon shook his head.
〈Master Gang is the perfect fit. People who serve their superiors have something in common.〉
That was the real reason why Gang Woong had come to the kitchen.
‘Young master is counting on me…….’
This was his first time traveling outside, and his heart was pounding slightly.