By Zephyria 
“What in the world is going on here?”
A sudden, cheerful voice pierced through them.
Baek Ryeo-il froze.
“Aren’t these people Yak Seon’s attendants?”
Baek Ryeo-il frowned, and the murderous intent that had been pressing down on the air vanished as if washed away. However, he still didn’t loosen his grip on Seong Mu-yeon’s shoulder.
He seemed to be in great conflict, glaring alternately at Seong Mu-yeon and the surrounding situation, but eventually, he muttered a curse and released his grip.
Seong Mu-yeon was puzzled.
Just a moment ago, from Baek Ryeo-il’s perspective, Seong Mu-yeon was as good as a ready-made meal. All he had to do was remove the mask to confirm the face he wanted to see. It would have been very easy for him.
Yet, Baek Ryeo-il had backed down.
‘…I guess people do mellow out as they get older.’
As the murderous intent that had been pressing down on the surroundings disappeared, Owl quickly hid Seong Mu-yeon behind him. But he was too big for the boy, who only came up to his chest, to hide him properly.
Seong Mu-yeon raised his head to find the grateful person who had instantly broken the tense situation.
And he received another great shock.
“Oh, isn’t this child your disciple? When did he grow up so much?”
“P-Peng Young master…! It’s been a while.”
The person Gang Woong greeted with a nervous expression was none other than Peng Do-hwan.
‘…Is this for real?’
Gang Woong, Baek Ryeo-il, and now Peng Do-hwan?!
This was enough to drive him crazy.
…It seemed the world wanted to throw him into hell.
Baek Ryeo-il glared at Peng Do-hwan as if he wanted to kill him, then abruptly left. Peng Do-hwan, who had blatantly interfered, was speaking amiably to Gang Woong as if he knew nothing.
“He’ll be taller than your master soon, won’t he? What does he eat to grow so much?”
“That’s not possible… Haha….”
Suddenly, Seong Mu-yeon wondered if Owl knew about his and Peng Do-hwan’s grim history.
Owl stared intently at Seong Mu-yeon with empty eyes, then let out a soft sigh.
“You’re a magnet for trouble….”
…He knew.
It had been three years. After living quietly as if dead for that long, on his first day out in the world, he encountered not one, but two of the people he should have avoided the most.
It could only be called fate.
Gang Woong appropriately chimed in with Peng Do-hwan’s small talk, then discreetly slipped away. Judging by the direction, he seemed to be following Baek Ryeo-il.
“How did you two manage to offend that savage?”
Peng Do-hwan approached them with a sly smile, as if he had been waiting for this.
“Well, never mind. He’s such a wild card anyway, he must have been acting up all on his own. Isn’t that right?”
Because he suddenly barged in, Seong Mu-yeon had to face his past karma without being able to prepare himself.
Seong Mu-yeon unconsciously took small steps backward. Facing his smiling face was much more uncomfortable than facing Baek Ryeo-il’s anger.
Peng Do-hwan and the Peng family played the biggest role in declaring Seong Mu-yeon a public enemy.
He had heard that they had spent a lot of money on posting wanted posters and mobilizing manpower, with the single-minded determination to catch Seven Sons Seong Mu-yeon and hold him accountable for harming their heir.
“Seeing even you two, who usually don’t show your faces, out like this, the situation must be serious.”
Just as Owl was nodding slightly, a small commotion arose from the side.
“Man-deuk! Are you coming to your senses!”
Man-deuk, the young man from the village who had fainted, had woken up. After drinking water and regaining his strength, he began to explain the whole story in response to people’s questions.
Recently, there had been ominous rumors that residents of nearby villages had been poisoned by the Demonic Cult, so the people of Medicinal Herb Village had been living in tense days. Sure enough, a few days ago, a herbalist who had gone into the mountains was found poisoned by an unknown cause. Someone suggested finding a great doctor who occasionally appeared in the next village, and they were lucky enough to find that doctor right away. That was how Yak Seon came to Medicinal Herb Village three days ago.
Yak Seon gave the herbalist an antidote and spent the night here to monitor his progress. But the next day, the guys who had put the herbalist in that state attacked the village. About twenty demonic cultists intimidated and threatened the residents, gathered them in one place, and began to loot the village.
Yak Seon and a few young men from the village were lucky enough to hide without being discovered by them.
“Yakseon Daein said that he couldn’t save all the villagers alone, so he told us to go to a big city and ask for help… But on the way, we were eventually discovered by those guys… Because of that, we scattered in the forest. Some seemed to have escaped safely, but the rest could only hide.”
“That’s why I came.”
Peng Do-hwan nodded.
“But before long, we were caught by those guys… While Yakseon Daein sacrificed himself to draw their attention, I went deep into the forest and hid. I don’t know what happened to the others, but Yak Seon must have been captured for sure….”
After enduring for a whole day, looking for an opportunity, he tried to escape the forest but was chased by remnants. It was during that time that he ran into Seong Mu-yeon and Owl.
“Please, save Yakseon Daein, who was captured by those guys because of us.”
“Don’t worry. We will definitely save Yakseon Daein.”
“‘We’…?”
Owl tilted his head as Peng Do-hwan confidently declared as if Seong Mu-yeon and Owl were a group.
“What? Aren’t you going to save him?”
“Of course, I have to save him, but….”
“Ah, there’s no need to thank me. Even if it wasn’t for Daein, I was going to save the villagers who were dragged away anyway. I’ll gladly lend a hand.”
“That’s not it….”
“Yakseon Daein is a treasure of the Central Plains and a master of medicine! Of course, I have to risk my life to save him! I already agreed to do so with Heartless Sword. It’s a bit unsettling, but that guy’s swordsmanship is not to be ignored, so he’ll be helpful.”
“No, we’re….”
“If you’re thinking of acting separately, don’t even dream about it! You saw what happened to this village, didn’t you? You’ll be in big trouble if you wander around without proper means to protect yourself. Then let’s start as soon as we clean up this place!”
Peng Do-hwan laughed heartily and thumped Owl on the shoulder.
“The fact that those guys appeared in Medicinal Herb Village twice means that their base is definitely nearby. If we interrogate the guy Little Leader captured, we’ll be able to find it soon!”
He finished saying what he wanted to say and quickly left to find the bound Demonic human.
“……”
In a short time, Owl’s complexion had turned as white as if the pigment had been drained from it. Peng Do-hwan was a person that someone with Owl’s personality couldn’t handle.
‘Still, it’s a relief.’
Seong Mu-yeon was slightly relieved to see that Peng Do-hwan hadn’t lost his bright personality and was still the same, even without his brother by his side.
“…It’ll be dangerous, though.”
Owl opened his mouth.
“There’s no choice… If Yak Seon is in danger, we have to find him as soon as possible. They also have the same goal as us, so even if we act separately, we’ll end up running into each other anyway….”
“……”
“It’s a difficult time to guarantee our safety with just the two of us, as that Swordsmen said… Let’s just accompany them until we find Yak Seon’s whereabouts for now. Baek Ryeo-il won’t try to lay a hand on you twice… Be careful not to say anything.”
“……”
Was there any other way?
Seong Mu-yeon, who still hadn’t regained his voice, simply nodded.
“It’ll be uncomfortable, but bear with it a little longer….”
Owl patted his shoulder lightly twice.
…I don’t know anymore either.
Having decided that, the two followed Peng Do-hwan. However, the place where the Demonic human should have been was empty.
“Huh? Where did that guy go?”
‘Damn bastards!’
The Demonic human gritted his teeth at the pain in his pierced shoulder. Taking advantage of the commotion caused by the series of events, he quietly climbed over the wall with his arms and legs bound and succeeded in hiding in the nearby bushes.
However, he couldn’t untie the ropes that bound his limbs no matter what he did, so he had no choice but to wriggle like a worm and move little by little.
As he struggled to crawl on the ground, his whole body was soon soaked with sweat. In addition, the soil on the mountainside was rough with sharp stones, dry branches, and tree roots, causing small wounds to appear one by one.
‘I will definitely repay this grudge….’
He gnashed his teeth in humiliation.
Fortunately, his comrades’ campsite wasn’t far away. All he had to do was get there… Then he would bring his comrades back and take bloody revenge.
It was when the Demonic human was struggling to climb a steep hill. He stiffened and held his breath at the sudden approaching sound.
‘Have I been found out already?’
But judging from the fact that the footsteps stopped right next to him and hadn’t moved for a while, it didn’t seem like he had been discovered.
The Demonic human rolled his eyes and looked for the owner of the presence beyond the bushes.
The Demonic human gasped as he saw a man with a sturdy build and a strong aura of a master.
The other man seemed very excited, panting heavily and his chest rising and falling greatly.
‘Please, just go….’
It was then that the Demonic human was desperately praying inwardly.
Thud-!
‘Eek!’
With one punch from the man, a thick persimmon tree fell with a cracking sound.