By Zephyria Choice (6)
A wild mountain on the outskirts of Wuhan, Hubei Province.
Sixth Young Master Seong Mu-ryong stared down at the mountain with a fiercely grim face. The manor, visible far below as small as a palm, was brightly lit as if it were daytime, even in the middle of the night, making it stand out.
‘Ryeon-il…….’
As he thought of his youngest brother being held captive there, his usually stern expression became wistful.
As soon as Seong Mu-ryong heard the news that a Demonic Cult Young master had appeared in Hubei, he immediately formed an elite squad and left the Main Palace. He was determined to bring his beloved youngest brother home this time.
‘……That Mount Hua bastard must be there too.’
Seong Mu-ryong clenched his fist. Vivid anger arose as he recalled Baek Ryeo-il, the Heartless Sword, who had interfered with his affairs last time. If it weren’t for that bastard, his brother would have returned to their cozy home long ago.
Of course, the Demonic Cult is not a welcoming place for Seong Mu-yeon. But now the Demonic Cult will change. No, he intends to change it.
When the Cult Leader dies and his eldest brother, the First Young Master, ascends as the new Cult Leader, a completely new era will begin.
‘I’m worried if he’s eating well.’
The manor with its flickering orange lights even looked peaceful at first glance. But it was clear that Seong Mu-yeon would never be comfortable there.
‘Damn bastards!’
Seong Mu-ryong punched the tree he was leaning on, and with a cracking sound, its white flesh was exposed.
‘Dare…… touch Ryeo-il, my brother?’
The distance from Xinjiang to Wuhan was considerable. Seong Mu-ryong had continued almost in a straight line to reduce travel time, so he had barely stopped by any villages. In the meantime, Seong Mu-ryong could not calm his anger at the news that Seong Mu-yeon had become a prisoner in the Jegal Clan’s prison.
‘Why is Il-gwang so late?’
Seong Mu-ryong kept looking back at the dark forest with impatient eyes.
He was so worried and anxious that he felt like his insides were burning black because the situation was not as easy to handle as he had hoped.
Countless martial artists had flocked to Wuhan to capture the Demonic Cult Young master, leaving no room to set foot, and as a result, Seong Mu-ryong and his men had to stay in the nearby forest without daring to enter the city. Naturally, there was no way to contact the branch located in the city. In the end, Seong Mu-ryong had to take the risk of secretly sending Il-gwang in.
How long had he waited? Finally, the bushes rustled and Il-gwang appeared.
“Il-gwang! What’s the situation with those guys? How is Ryeo-il?”
Seong Mu-ryong greeted him with a delighted expression. However, seeing Il-gwang’s dark expression, he could easily guess that the situation was difficult.
“……It is true that the Seventh Young Master is imprisoned. The branch is trying to do something, but there are too many eyes watching…….”
“Then the rumor that Ryeo-il killed Peng Yuan-jin, the young head of the Peng family, is not just a rumor.”
“Yes.”
Seong Mu-ryong contorted his face in an ambiguous way, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The Five Great Families were clearly arch-enemies, so he was not sorry for the death of the young head of the Peng family, but…….
“It’s not like Ryeo-il.”
“I think so too.”
Il-gwang sighed deeply.
“The Seventh Young Master is capable enough to deal with Peng Yuan-jin, but he is not the type to cause unnecessary incidents in such a sensitive time.”
“That’s right.”
“It is clear that we must rescue the Seventh Young Master as soon as possible. The Peng family of Hebei must have heard the news by now and are coming here in a fit of rage. We must get him out before that.”
“……It’s dangerous.”
Seong Mu-ryong was well aware of the Peng family of Hebei’s unique hasty temperament.
“Huh? But who are you holding in your hand?”
Seong Mu-ryong asked, noticing that Il-gwang was holding someone’s limp neck.
“Ah. I caught this guy suspiciously loitering near the branch. He seems to be affiliated with the Demonic Cult, but…….”
Il-gwang dropped the man he was holding at his feet. Seong Mu-ryong bent down to examine him, but he was an unfamiliar face.
“Hey.”
Il-gwang slapped him on the cheek. Then the man flinched greatly and regained consciousness. He looked around with a puzzled expression, and when he found Seong Mu-ryong, his eyes widened.
“……S, Sixth Young Master?”
“He knows the Lord’s face, so he must be a cultist.”
Il-gwang said.
“State your name and affiliation.”
Seong Mu-ryong nodded and asked the man in an imposing tone. The man, who had been gaping, suddenly came to his senses and prostrated himself on the ground.
“M, my name is Bang Gyeom.”
Bang Gyeom had escaped from the manor according to Seong Mu-yeon’s instructions, but he had no intention of seeking his own way out alone. So he immediately set out to find the Demonic Cult branch.
It was a place he had avoided for a while, but it was even more difficult to find the exact location. Then he was discovered by Il-gwang, lost consciousness in one blow, and was dragged here.
“Affiliation?”
Bang Gyeom rolled his eyes, sweating profusely. Seong Mu-ryong’s eyes narrowed as the answer did not come back immediately.
Bang Gyeom couldn’t easily reveal his affiliation, even though Seong Mu-ryong seemed to suspect him. This was because the Sixth Young Master was outwardly a criminal who had killed his brothers and fled, so he, as his subordinate, was also a criminal.
But now that Seong Mu-yeon was in danger, it was no time to worry about such things.
“I’m…….”
It was then that Bang Gyeom was about to open his mouth, having decided to save Seong Mu-yeon first.
A sound cutting through the air flew from somewhere, and Bang Gyeom collapsed.
“Who is it!”
Seong Mu-ryong and his men simultaneously drew their weapons and checked the direction from which the attack had come. The bushes rustled, and an unexpected figure appeared in the moonlight.
“It’s been a while, Second Brother.”
“Third?”
Seong Mu-ryong retrieved his weapon with a slightly bewildered expression.
“I’m sorry. He was the Sixth’s last remaining subordinate, and I’ve been chasing him all along.”
“Yes, what happened? What about the Sixth? I heard some news on the way, but I couldn’t get inside the castle, so I didn’t hear the details.”
“I’m taking good care of the Sixth. I was going to return to the Main Palace with him after retrieving the youngest…….”
“I’m sorry. I should have taken the lead, but I was too busy with internal affairs in the Main Palace. I’m glad you stepped in.”
“Don’t mention it. Isn’t it my duty to assist my brothers? But what brings you here? Did you come to find the youngest?”
As Seong Mu-geuk gestured lightly, his men, all wrapped in black clothes, quickly ran over and took the limp Bang Gyeom somewhere.
“Yes……. But I was in trouble because there were too many enemies.”
Seong Mu-ryong’s face darkened.
“That’s good. I’ll lend you my men. I couldn’t leave anyway because I was worried about leaving the youngest there.”
“I’ll be relieved if you help me.”
Seong Mu-ryong patted him on the shoulder, and Seong Mu-geuk smiled.
“……But what are those guys doing now?”
Seong Mu-ryong looked down at the Jegal Clan manor.
“Young head, come out!”
Dozens of martial artists surrounded the Jegal Clan’s front yard with a dignified aura. A middle-aged man stepped forward and shouted loudly. A voice filled with inner force echoed through the manor in the middle of the night.
“Who are you to be causing such a ruckus in the middle of the night!”
One of the Jegal Clan’s retainers ran out and scolded the uninvited guests. Contrary to his dignified aura, his face was full of embarrassment. Many guests were staying at the manor. He seemed worried that the series of unfortunate events would once again tarnish the reputation of the Jegal Clan.
“Are you the young head? You’re too old to be him.”
“Isn’t it polite to state your name first?”
“I don’t have a name to give to a lackey, so bring the young head!”
“I’ve never seen such a rogue!”
Meanwhile, Gang Woong came out with his martial uncles to find out what the commotion was about, and he gasped when he recognized the middle-aged man who was shouting and fighting.
“Luzhu Seon-wol?”
“Do you know him?”
Jang Han-soo asked, and Gang Woong nodded.
“I was involved with him before because of the Sixth Young Master. That man is the owner of the warehouse I mentioned before. I heard he was arrested by the government for running an illegal business, but how did he get out?”
Jang Han-soo scoffed at Gang Woong’s question.
“He looks like he’s dripping with grease, so he must have bribed them with a large sum of money to get released.”
Gang Woong looked worriedly at the menacing martial artists surrounding the manor. They clearly didn’t come with good intentions.
Before long, Jegal Un finally pushed through the onlookers and stood face to face with the intruders.
“I am Jegal Un, the young head of the Jegal Clan. Who are you to be looking for me in the middle of the night?”
Jegal Un slowly scanned the intruders with sharp eyes. Luzhu Seon-wol was slightly intimidated when Jegal Un, who was said to have lost his mind after the death of Peng Yuan-jin, whom he had been close to, stood unexpectedly well and glared at him.