By Zephyria Spirit Pill (4)
Although he didn’t say it directly, Jegal Un clearly knew the state of his body.
“Anyway, it’s okay to let him in.”
Jegal Un said in a deliberately friendly tone.
“If the Young master says so…”
“Oh, have you two greeted each other? This is the Yang Ha-gakju of Yangha Pavilion, who was the first to hear about the warehouse incident and informed our Jegal family.”
Yang Ha-gakju looked at Jegal Un as if he were a madman, but he only laughed as if he found it amusing.
At that moment, Seong Mu-jae’s fierce curses once again crossed the prison door.
“Give me back my Spirit Pill! I’ll kill you!”
Jegal Un chuckled.
“Judging by the fuss he’s making, it seems it’s no ordinary spirit pill. Looking at the color, it doesn’t seem artificially made… Is it a Core Pill? Heartless Sword didn’t give me an answer, but Seventh Young master Seong Mu-yeon, would you be willing to explain it instead?”
He placed the Spirit Pill on the palm of his hand and examined it closely. Yang Ha-gakju also peeked with curious eyes.
He didn’t know how much Baek Ryeo-il had explained to them, but it seemed he had revealed the existence of the Spirit Pill to explain why the Demon Slayer Unit had come to Hubei and that Seong Mu-yeon and Seong Mu-jae had not deliberately invited the Demonic Cult.
However, Jegal Un wasn’t really asking because he was curious about the identity of the Spirit Pill. The intention to provoke him was clearly felt. It seemed he wanted to see the brothers locked up in prison together.
Certainly, Seong Mu-yeon felt the urge to snatch the Spirit Pill as it dangled before his eyes, but he wasn’t one to fall for such a trick.
“Yes, I would appreciate it if you could return it as it is a precious item.”
As Seong Mu-yeon calmly replied, Jegal Un seemed to realize that he wouldn’t act according to his wishes and clicked his tongue softly. The Spirit Pill disappeared into his sleeve.
“Well. Whatever it is, there’s no way the Demonic Cult is doing something good, so I’ll decide after confirming whether it’s okay to return it.”
With that, he turned his body and walked away somewhere.
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon stared at Jegal Un’s departing back for a moment before entering the prison.
‘He openly dislikes me.’
He had been treated badly many times for being a member of the Demonic Cult, but it was rare for someone to express such blatant hatred.
Ah, there’s another one here.
Seong Mu-jae, who had been screaming until his voice was hoarse, closed his mouth when he saw Seong Mu-yeon entering the prison and glared at him fiercely.
Yang Ha-gakju returned to the entrance and stood with his arms crossed. His stubbornness implied that he wouldn’t let anything slide.
Seong Mu-yeon approached the iron bars where Seong Mu-jae was imprisoned. There were several prison cells, but only the two occupied by Seong Mu-jae and Bang Gyeom were occupied. Bang Gyeom was still unconscious.
“Look at you, Seong Mu-yeon. How does it feel to be abandoned after sucking up to the orthodox sect?”
Seong Mu-jae sneered.
“Who’s been abandoned?”
“You have!”
Bang!
Seong Mu-jae clung to the iron bars. He grabbed the iron bars with his bound hands and glared at Seong Mu-yeon with murderous eyes.
“If you don’t get the Spirit Pill back, I’ll kill you.”
“Do you even have the strength to do that?”
“Knowing what kind of item it is, how can you be so calm? You idiot. What did I tell you! I told you not to trust those bastards! It’s all because of you!”
Seong Mu-jae spat out whatever came to his mind, driven by anger.
“……”
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon realize why he had come to this place.
His insides were like a boiling pot.
He had finally obtained a fruit after hardship, but it was taken away by the wrong person, and this situation was frustrating and unfair.
It was like a pot boiling alone because the lid was tightly pressed down, preventing it from overflowing and calming down. So, he had come to find someone to vent his anger on. He couldn’t shout at the innocent Baek Ryeo-il or Gang Woong, the Jegal family, or the Wudang Sect, could he?
But seeing Seong Mu-jae pouring out the same emotions as him… he didn’t want to become like that. His heart calmed down.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
When Seong Mu-yeon asked, he spewed out even more fierce curses. It seemed he wasn’t in a state to have a conversation. Seong Mu-yeon shook his head and stood up.
“I will retrieve the Spirit Pill no matter what. So, stay put and don’t cause any trouble.”
“You’re really disgusting, Seong Mu-yeon.”
Seong Mu-yeon turned around at the voice he heard from behind after taking a few steps. Seong Mu-jae leaned against the wall, suppressing the anger that had risen to the top of his head, and twisted the corners of his lips.
“Did you hit your head somewhere? Why are you pretending to be nice? Just be yourself. I feel like I’m going to throw up even though I haven’t eaten anything.”
“……”
“What? ‘Stay put and don’t cause any trouble’? Anyone would think you’re really worried? You’re the most Heartless Sword among our seven brothers, Seong Mu-yeon.”
He was not worth dealing with.
Seong Mu-yeon turned his body again. But the words Seong Mu-jae uttered next stopped him once more.
“Although no one said it, everyone secretly thought it was fortunate that you fell ill and collapsed, do you know that? Everyone whispered that if you had grown up as you were and gained power, something terrible might have happened.”
Seong Mu-yeon’s body trembled. Seong Mu-jae continued to speak to his back.
“The orthodox sect guys who talk so high and mighty are a given, and even our Demonic Cult doesn’t kill people without a reason. But you…”
“……Stop it.”
“I don’t know if those guys know what you did in the past.”
“……”
Finally, Seong Mu-yeon slowly turned around. In his eyes, which were fixed on Seong Mu-jae, a deep abyss that had never been there before was absorbing all the darkness, making them pitch black.
“Heh heh… Hahaha! Yes, that’s the Seong Mu-yeon I know! I thought something had happened to your head.”
But that gaze, which had flashed for a brief moment, soon disappeared. Seong Mu-yeon let out a weary sigh.
“…That was a long time ago.”
It was before he had recalled the memories of his past life. The powerless Seventh Young master Seong Mu-yeon who was angry but had lost the strength to take revenge.
Not long after losing Dam Cheong, the teenage Seong Mu-yeon had defied the Cult Leader.
Although he didn’t want to admit it, that was… Seong Mu-yeon’s true self at that time.
If he hadn’t recalled his memories, and if he hadn’t met Baek Ryeo-il, he would have lived like that and ended his life.
He would have been cursed at if he cursed, and then on days when he couldn’t bear it, he would have indiscriminately harmed others and himself before dying while vomiting blood.
“People change.”
“Ha! That’s so convenient. You can change if you want to, and the sins you’ve committed disappear? What’s so great about that? So, who killed your mother in the end?”
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon tightly closed his mouth. This time, he was the one gripping the iron bars. Seong Mu-jae, who had gained the upper hand in the conversation, leisurely watched him.
But Seong Mu-yeon could read his anxious heart behind that leisure.
Seong Mu-jae must have been quite desperate as well.
To bring up ‘that story’.
“…What do you want?”
Of course, what Seong Mu-jae wanted was obvious.
“The Spirit Pill. Bite those bastards’ necks and retrieve it no matter what, and put it back in my hands.”
“That’s what I want too. Haven’t you forgotten? I need to take the Spirit Pill so that Yak Seon can make medicine to heal my body.”
“And one more thing. Release Bang Gyeom.”
Seong Mu-jae glanced at Bang Gyeom, who was lying on the cold floor of the next cell.
“Bang Gyeom is innocent. Until this happened, he was just an ordinary believer and hadn’t even been taught Demonic Art. He just happened to become a fugitive with me that day, so now, whether he stays in the Cult or not, it’s obvious what his future holds, both inside and outside.”
Seong Mu-jae muttered. He contorted his face to hide his emotions, but some emotions inevitably burst out regardless of one’s will.
“He’s suffered a lot just trying to stay by my side until the end.”
Seong Mu-yeon read pity and guilt in his voice and expression.
The Seong Mu-jae he knew was someone who didn’t know these emotions, so he seemed to be surprised often these days. Of course, Seong Mu-jae was probably just as surprised as Seong Mu-yeon…
“…I wish I could, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“Of course, you would say that! I don’t expect anything. Just do your best!”
He pushed him so hard, and now he says he doesn’t expect anything?
He didn’t know which tune to dance to.
“…My youngest.”
“Yes, brother.”
Seong Mu-jae rubbed his shoulder as if he was getting goosebumps when Seong Mu-yeon not only answered obediently but also looked at him as if he was listening intently.
“Remember my words. You’re just going to be used and then abandoned in the end.”
Is it that sound again?
“Do you really think we can get along with those guys? You seem to trust that Heartless Sword or whatever his name is, but you shouldn’t. I’m saying all this for your sake, my youngest.”
Seong Mu-yeon was about to wave his hand at the same nagging, but he had a more serious expression than ever before.