By Zephyria Spirit Pill (2)
Seong Mu-jae dropped the gong and collapsed on the spot.
“Ugh… I’m going to die.”
“Me too…”
Seong Mu-yeon also lay back down, gasping for breath. Fortunately, his neck wasn’t broken. Thanks to Seong Mu-jae’s timely intervention, he didn’t end up vomiting blood and dying.
However, he struggled to get up. He had to check if Luzhu was dead or alive. If he suddenly jumped up and swung his curved blade again, he would surely be dead.
“Don’t kill him!”
Seong Mu-jae shouted urgently as Seong Mu-yeon approached Luzhu.
“…I won’t kill him.”
Seong Mu-yeon replied awkwardly. Luzhu was a despicable man in every way, but not to the point of being killed. He was foaming at the mouth, but thankfully he was breathing and his heart was beating.
“Y-yes, right. He gave us food and shelter, so there’s that debt.”
Seong Mu-jae nodded awkwardly, then startled and jumped up.
“Spirit Pill!”
He picked up the curved blade and threw it. The already half-cut opening of the pouch was sliced open, and the Spirit Pill inside fell out with a thud. Seong Mu-jae picked up the Spirit Pill, carefully wrapped it again with any cloth he could find nearby, and quickly put it in his bosom as if someone would snatch it away.
“Let’s go… Brother…”
Both of them were extremely exhausted. But they had obtained the Spirit Pill.
“Wait a moment.”
Seong Mu-jae went back to Luzhu.
Seong Mu-yeon immediately realized what he was trying to do when he saw him rummaging through the unconscious Luzhu’s pockets. He was looking for the pouch of Gold Coins he had.
“This is not the time for this!”
The people outside were risking their lives fighting the Demon Slayer Unit who were chasing Seong Mu-jae, so what was he doing?
Seong Mu-yeon retorted, and Seong Mu-jae shouted even louder.
“The hell it isn’t! You try living on the streets without a single penny! You have to take care of things when you have the chance. Found it!”
Seong Mu-jae stubbornly took the thick pouch of Gold Coins.
“Brother.”
Seong Mu-yeon gripped Seong Mu-jae’s shoulder tightly.
“If that’s the case, let’s split it in half.”
“…”
After all, that money was what Seong Mu-yeon had borrowed. Although Luzhu was in this state and no longer needed it.
The two coughed awkwardly and divided the Gold Coins in half.
Then they burst into laughter at each other’s appearance.
Seong Mu-jae, who had been punched, kicked, and slammed into walls by Luzhu, was in a terrible state. Seong Mu-yeon probably looked similar.
“Now that we’ve got the Spirit Pill, let’s get out of here quickly.”
“Alright.”
Now all they had to do was defeat the Demon Slayer Unit and return to Mount Hua.
Then they could live.
Meanwhile, Baek Ryeo-il swallowed the rising curses.
The Demon Slayer Unit was strong, but they weren’t very threatening once Je Cheon-deuk joined in. As time passed, the Demon Slayer Unit fell one by one.
The problem was Myeong-gwi.
He was stronger than the others. But he wasn’t threatening enough to Baek Ryeo-il. Of course, he wasn’t a small fry that could be taken down in one strike either.
Myeong-gwi exchanged blows with Baek Ryeo-il a few times and realized the difference in skill, so he didn’t confront him head-on but cleverly avoided him. Baek Ryeo-il didn’t want to stray far from where Seong Mu-yeon had entered, so Myeong-gwi kept his distance and then suddenly came in to provoke Baek Ryeo-il whenever the Demon Slayer Unit seemed to be cornered.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Baek Ryeo-il blocked his path and drove him away. Then Myeong-gwi retreated far back again.
‘This is so annoying.’
Their actions were clearly a stalling tactic.
They couldn’t chase after Seong Mu-yeon and Seong Mu-jae, who had entered the building because of Baek Ryeo-il, so they were waiting for them to return.
One would expect him to be angry at being disturbed and seeing his subordinates die, but Myeong-gwi didn’t show any agitation. He was like a person without emotions.
Baek Ryeo-il wasn’t very surprised. He was just uneasy.
Soon, Seong Mu-yeon and Seong Mu-jae appeared. Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes flashed. Seong Mu-yeon was grimy as if he had been rolling around somewhere, with blood on his lips and red handprints on his neck.
‘Useless bastard. Can’t even protect his own brother properly.’
Baek Ryeo-il glared at Seong Mu-jae. He was in even worse shape than Seong Mu-yeon, but Baek Ryeo-il didn’t even notice.
As if he had been waiting, Myeong-gwi’s aura changed.
Baek Ryeo-il prepared himself, thinking that Myeong-gwi would now use his full power. It was a good thing, actually. He was tired of chasing after a guy who cleverly attacked and retreated.
However, Myeong-gwi whistled to signal and retreated with the Demon Slayer Unit through the hole in the roof.
“Shall we chase after them?”
Seong Mu-yeon asked, but the answer came from Je Cheon-deuk, who was standing next to him.
“Of course, we have to chase after them. Do you think you can offend the Wudang and get away with it?”
Before anyone could stop him, Je Cheon-deuk leaped and disappeared over the hole shrouded in the night.
‘That idiot!’
Baek Ryeo-il gritted his teeth.
Je Cheon-deuk was definitely skilled enough to handle the Demon Slayer Unit. But that was only when Myeong-gwi was out of the picture.
Myeong-gwi had been focusing his attention only on Baek Ryeo-il, who was a threat, and Je Cheon-deuk, who had been following them silently with the determination to make a contribution, had finally seen the Demonic Cult in front of him and his blood boiled, preventing him from properly assessing the situation.
The fact that he didn’t know they were after Seong Mu-jae and the Spirit Pill he possessed played a big part.
“You stay here. Gang Woong, protect them.”
“Yes!”
Baek Ryeo-il also disappeared outside after him, and the inside of the gambling den was enveloped in an unfamiliar silence.
“Are you alright?”
“Young master, where are you hurt?”
While Bang Gyeom, who was also covered in wounds, examined Seong Mu-jae, Gang Woong asked worriedly.
“Even though I look like this, I’m not seriously hurt. What about you, Master Baek? You’re bleeding.”
Gang Woong was also bleeding from being cut here and there by the Demon Slayer Unit’s swords.
“Just a moment. I brought some ointment…”
It was then, as Seong Mu-yeon was rummaging through his sleeves to find emergency medicine, that Seong Mu-jae suddenly pushed Gang Woong away roughly.
“Ugh.”
Gang Woong, who was exhausted from the tough fight and off guard, fell onto the table that already had one leg broken, and the table split in half.
“What are you doing!”
The boy was unconscious and didn’t move. Seong Mu-jae grabbed Seong Mu-yeon, who was about to go check on him.
“Now’s our chance. Let’s run.”
Hearing those words, Seong Mu-yeon was so angry that the blood in his whole body turned cold.
“…I shouldn’t have trusted you, brother.”
Seong Mu-jae led him to the escape route, but shaking off Seong Mu-jae, who had exhausted his energy fighting Luzhu, was easier than eating a piece of cake.
“You’re so naive, youngest. Do you really believe in Mount Hua? Do you really think Yak Seon will heal your body? Don’t be ridiculous! They’ll just take the Spirit Pill and throw you away like an old shoe! This is our chance!”
A struggle ensued between Seong Mu-jae, who was trying to drag him away, and Seong Mu-yeon, who refused to go.
“If I can just get in touch with the Eldest Brother, everything will be resolved. You can testify! If we just return to the Demonic Cult, your illness can be cured! Bang Gyeom!”
“Yes!”
Before he could even react, Bang Gyeom rushed over and lifted Seong Mu-yeon up.
“Brother, are you crazy?! Let me go, you bastard! Let me go!”
“I’m sorry, Seventh Young master.”
Bang Gyeom also seemed reluctant, as if he felt guilty, but he couldn’t refuse his lord’s order.
“Master Baek! Master Baek! Help me!”
As Seong Mu-yeon screamed at the top of his lungs, Seong Mu-jae clicked his tongue and shook his head, then tried to stuff a dirty cloth into his mouth. Due to the fierce resistance, Seong Mu-jae eventually gave up on blocking his mouth.
“I was originally going to run away alone, you know? You should be grateful that I’m taking you with me. You’ll thank me later.”
“No, I won’t! I don’t think I’ll be thankful!”
Bang Gyeom was very strong. At least stronger than Seong Mu-yeon. All Seong Mu-yeon could do was scratch his arms and face.
“Stop right there!”
Je Cheon-deuk recklessly chased after the Demon Slayer Unit who were running into the dark forest, and Baek Ryeo-il followed closely behind.
“Je Cheon-deuk!”
Je Cheon-deuk must have heard Baek Ryeo-il’s voice calling him, but he ignored it completely, chasing only the enemy in front of him.
‘They must have set a trap.’
He barely suppressed the urge to beat up Je Cheon-deuk, who had created a situation where he had no choice but to walk into it knowing full well what was going to happen.
It was already too late when Je Cheon-deuk noticed the trap and stopped.
Sure enough, arrows and hidden weapon were fired from all directions. The Demon Slayer Unit had set up mechanisms in preparation for unexpected situations.
Je Cheon-deuk deflected the flying hidden weapon and sometimes bent over to avoid them. It was an attack that wouldn’t even tickle a martial artist. Baek Ryeo-il looked at the direction from which the attacks were coming and realized something was wrong, but Je Cheon-deuk was a step too late.
It was the moment when Je Cheon-deuk stepped back to avoid a poisoned dart. As he took a step, the floor suddenly collapsed with a thud.
“?!”
From the start, the hidden weapon were not meant to kill. They were a guiding device to drive him into the real hidden trap.
First, they distracted him with a barrage of hidden weapon, and then, while avoiding the hidden weapon, he would unknowingly move to where the real trap was hidden.
By the time Je Cheon-deuk realized this, he had already fallen into the trap.
Baek Ryeo-il grabbed Je Cheon-deuk’s collar, who was floating in the air, and pulled him out. He had saved Je Cheon-deuk, but the recoil caused him to be suspended over the bottomless pit instead.
Baek Ryeo-il thought that this time, truly threatening hidden weapon would fly at him. He thought that the bottom of the pit would be full of weapons that would make holes in the body of anyone who fell.
But the pit was just deep, and there was nothing at the bottom. There were no flying hidden weapon either.
From the start, the reason for setting up this trap was to capture Seong Mu-jae.
Baek Ryeo-il clicked his tongue and twisted his body in the air. He was planning to kick the air and use the recoil to get out of the pit’s radius.
But the Demon Slayer Unit rushed in and covered his body.
Baek Ryeo-il helplessly fell into the pit.