By Zephyria An Unwelcome Guest in a Precious Place (3)
‘What!’
Baek Ryeo-il shook his head as if he was dumbfounded, but he didn’t interfere.
Fortunately, Seong Mu-yeon’s passionate speech was enough to move the Elders’ hearts. Some sympathized with his situation and shed tears with him, and most softened their gazes toward him slightly.
Of course, not everyone thought well of him.
“However, Elders. Even if what he says is true, we cannot decide on such an important matter among ourselves.”
The one who said that was the Third Elder, who looked sly. Then the other Elders flinched and began to agree.
“Although his story is unfortunate, we should postpone the decision until the Sect leader returns and thoroughly monitor him.”
“Third Elder is right. This may be a crossroads dealing with the rise and fall of the Sect, so we must be cautious.”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
Seong Mu-yeon narrowed his eyes.
‘That old man who looks like a villain!’
It was too much to throw ashes on a perfectly cooked meal.
As everyone agreed with the Third Elder’s statement, he rose from his seat and looked down at Seong Mu-yeon.
“Young master Seong Mu-yeon. Since you seem to understand the importance of the matter, you will agree to wait in the brain prison until the Sect leader returns.”
Seong Mu-yeon sighed shallowly. Still, it seemed he wouldn’t be beaten up and kicked out right away.
“Yes, I agree… Yes? Brain, does brain prison mean jail?”
The Third Elder’s gaze narrowed.
“We can’t just let a Demonic Cult’s Young master wander around Hwasan as he pleases, can we?”
Seong Mu-yeon stepped back. Then the Law Enforcement Swordsmen, who had been waiting, rushed forward and blocked the entrance with their bodies.
“I’m sorry, but considering Young master’s status… You may have entered as you pleased, but you can’t leave as you please.”
At the Third Elder’s nod, a Law Enforcement Swordsman reached out to take Seong Mu-yeon away. But that hand didn’t reach Seong Mu-yeon.
The Swordsman was already lying face down on the floor, pressed down. As expected, it was Baek Ryeo-il who had done it.
“Ugh, Senior Brother! What are you doing!”
He twisted his Junior Brother’s arm and pressed it behind his back. Ma Jin-cheon, who was watching the scene from afar, hit his chest as if he knew it would happen.
“Please wait a moment, Elders.”
Baek Ryeo-il helped his Junior Brother up and then pushed him towards the other Swordsmen. The rest were afraid of suffering the same fate as him, so they couldn’t recklessly rush at Baek Ryeo-il.
Baek Ryeo-il looked up at the head table of the assembly hall.
“I brought this guy, so I’ll take responsibility for him.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you lock him in the brain prison, you’ll need manpower to guard it, right? I can’t let my Senior Uncle and Senior and Junior Brothers, who are busy with water lily fragrance, waste their time because of me. Since I brought him, I’ll watch him.”
“What’s with the sudden noble thought?”
Baek Ryeo-il glanced sideways at Seong Mu-yeon with narrow eyes.
“And this guy’s got a lot of tricks up his sleeve, so I think he’ll escape from the brain prison if he puts his mind to it.”
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon flinched. As he said, he knew about three ways to escape from the brain prison. All of them were taught by the original Baek Ryeo-il.
The Third Elder stroked his beard.
“Hmm, that’s true. If it’s Baek Ryeo-il, he won’t be able to run away or do anything reckless. Do you all agree? Good. Then Ryeo-il, you take responsibility and thoroughly monitor him until the Sect leader returns.”
“Yes.”
The Elders began to rise from their seats one by one.
“Wait, just a moment. Aren’t you going to listen to my opinion? Hey!”
Despite Seong Mu-yeon’s shouts, the Elders silently left. He desperately shouted at the back of their heads.
“Just send me to the brain prison instead! Ma Instructor! You can’t do this!”
Even Ma Jin-cheon patted Baek Ryeo-il on the shoulder and left, leaving only the two of them in the meeting hall. Seong Mu-yeon was frustrated.
“Well, shall we go?”
Baek Ryeo-il grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up.
……Ah, an unfair world.
Outside the meeting hall, young disciples curious about Seong Mu-yeon were hanging on the walls. Instead of the adults who wouldn’t tell them anything clearly, they were trying to get information by listening inside, and when Baek Ryeo-il appeared carrying Seong Mu-yeon, they scattered in a panic.
Seong Mu-yeon was furious.
‘What’s the big spectacle?! You carefree bastards…….’
He was facing the crisis of his life, but he couldn’t help but envy them for being carefree and innocent.
Baek Ryeo-il took Seong Mu-yeon straight to his residence. The small pavilion surrounded by a low fence was called ‘Emerald Pavilion’. It was too big to live alone, but there was no one inside.
Most of the rooms seemed to be empty, and Baek Ryeo-il opened the door to one of them and went inside.
“……Is this a place where people live? Is this a pigsty?”
Unlike the neat exterior, the interior of the room was a mess. There were few pieces of furniture, and the floor was covered with worn clothes and junk, leaving no room to step.
Despite Seong Mu-yeon’s scolding, Baek Ryeo-il only shrugged. Then he picked up a blanket that was rolling around and threw it into a corner.
“Here, this is where you’ll stay.”
“……You want me to sleep here?”
“What else? Did you think I’d give my bed to a Demonic Cult bastard?”
What was he doing… Even a stray dog picked up from the street would sleep in a better place than this.
“Please send me to the brain prison now. I’d rather be there.”
“I told you, how can we waste manpower for just you? Even if our Senior and Junior Brothers seem useless, they’re actually highly skilled.”
“Then Master Baek can guard the brain prison.”
“What? You want me to sleep on the cold stone floor now?”
“You’re telling me to sleep on the wooden floor…….”
Seong Mu-yeon grumbled.
“What did you say just now?”
“Ah, no. Nothing…….”
His hearing was too good. Seong Mu-yeon pouted.
Thump!
Baek Ryeo-il suddenly pushed him against the wall without mercy.
“Ugh.”
His back throbbed from how hard he had been pushed. Baek Ryeo-il’s warning voice came from above his head.
“You better keep one thing in mind. Seong Mu-yeon.”
“What is it? What should I keep in mind?”
Seong Mu-yeon grumbled, rubbing his throbbing shoulder.
“If you try to play tricks on me again, I’ll dispose of you just like the other Demonic Cult bastards. Got it?”
“Yes, yes……. I understand.”
Seong Mu-yeon let out a long sigh.
Still, he had safely entered Hwasan. He didn’t know what would happen when the Sect leader returned, but until then, his safety was guaranteed.
‘At least until the war breaks out.’
He needed protection, and there weren’t many places that would look at his origins without prejudice.
“But you know…….”
“Yes?”
Baek Ryeo-il frowned and buried his nose in Seong Mu-yeon’s neck.
“What, what are you doing!”
“No, just stay still for a moment. You……. What did you do to your body?”
“What do you mean, what did I do!”
“Why does it smell so good? Do you have a fragrance pouch or something?”
Eventually, he rummaged through Seong Mu-yeon’s chest. He struggled as much as he could to escape from Baek Ryeo-il’s grasp.
“You crazy Taoist!”
“What? You keep doing this? You’re getting bolder and bolder, aren’t you?”
“I’m doing it because I’m pissed off, why! Are you going to kill me? Try killing me!”
No matter how strong Baek Ryeo-il was, he couldn’t commit murder within the Hwasan Sect, so Seong Mu-yeon had nothing more to hold back.
“Oh……. It seems like your liver’s grown too big for your stomach…….”
Baek Ryeo-il straightened his back. His shadow, which was a head taller, loomed over him.
“Do you know what?”
“What, what is it?”
“Do you know that if you hit someone right, it can hurt like hell but leave no trace? Don’t you want to know if it’s true?”
“……No. I don’t want to know.”
Seong Mu-yeon had no choice but to back down. Sad tears welled up in his eyes. In the Jianghu, being weak was a sin.
‘This dirty world…… I will definitely take revenge!’
“Oh, whatever. What’s the point of wrestling with a guy who’ll die if I just touch him? I’ll let you off. Stay quiet until the Sect leader comes.”
Baek Ryeo-il lay down on the bed and stretched out his long legs. He pillowed his arms and closed his eyes.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon stood there blankly like a sack of barley, looking around. There was nowhere to sit at all. There were two chairs at the only table in the room, but clothes that he didn’t know when he had worn were tangled on the two chairs, and the table was also full of miscellaneous items. It seemed like there was a rotten smell coming from somewhere.
‘I can’t live like this!’
Seong Mu-yeon rolled up his sleeves.
Baek Ryeo-il took a short break.
He couldn’t fall asleep completely because he had to watch Seong Mu-yeon so he wouldn’t run away, but he recovered some energy by closing his eyes and meditating. But he kept getting distracted by the commotion next to him. After an hour, he couldn’t stand it anymore and jumped up.
“Hey! Stop it…… already……?”
Baek Ryeo-il rubbed his eyes.
“My room……?”
He had only closed his eyes for a moment, but it was as if he was in a different place, not his own room. The floor was clean without a speck of dust, and it seemed to have a strange shine. The clothes he had just thrown away were neatly arranged and stacked in one corner.