By Zephyria 
Just then, one of the fallen Black Shadow Unit members grabbed Peng Do-hwan’s leg.
“Go, Unit Leader!”
“We’ll handle things here. Please go… ugh!”
Peng Do-hwan quickly kicked the man’s head, and he immediately went limp. However, Il-gwang had already reached the opposite door.
The remaining half of the Black Shadow Unit, who hadn’t fallen, were fleeing along with Il-gwang.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Gritting his teeth, Peng Do-hwan immediately kicked off the ground. He vanished after Il-gwang, cutting through the men like a bolt of lightning.
“Youngest…”
Owl shouted from atop the main beam.
“You can’t let that man get away… Follow them, hurry!”
Seong Mu-yeon immediately understood his intent and chased after them.
“Let go of me!”
At Baek Ryeo-il’s irritated shout, Seong Mu-yeon glanced back to find that Owl, who had jumped down from the beam at some point, was clinging to his neck.
“You can’t go…”
Having quickly exited the pavilion, Seong Mu-yeon could easily gauge the direction they had gone by the screams of people and the sound of explosions.
“Kyaaa!”
“Ru-run away!”
The market was crowded to the point where there was hardly room to step, and it was a scene of utter chaos, with people screaming in terror at the martial artist who suddenly appeared swinging a greatsword and the black-clad men scattering in all directions to avoid him.
They seemed to have no regard for the commoners, crushing stalls and causing a commotion. Every time Peng Do-hwan swung his sword, something broke and goods rolled across the floor.
Instead of chasing the conspicuously rampaging Peng Do-hwan, Seong Mu-yeon climbed to a high vantage point and calmly scanned the surroundings.
It wouldn’t be visible to the excited and rampaging Peng Do-hwan, but Seong Mu-yeon could spot the Black Shadow Unit members hiding among the crowd. Some hurriedly stripped off their black clothes and stole garments displayed in shops or clothes from commoners to disguise themselves, blending seamlessly into the crowd.
Seong Mu-yeon heightened his visual perception, and before long, he found the person he was looking for.
Leaping far down, he moved with leisurely steps. This was to avoid catching the eye of Peng Do-hwan, who was frantically stirring things up in every direction like a cat chasing mice.
He entered a secluded alley, following Il-gwang, who had draped his black long robe over his arm.
Despite only being a short distance away, the alley was silent, as if it had nothing to do with the turmoil occurring in the market. Small houses were clustered tightly together, blocking out most of the light.
As Il-gwang disappeared to the right at the end of the alley, Seong Mu-yeon quickened his pace. The moment he turned the corner, a powerful force slammed him against the wall.
“Make a sound and I’ll kill you.”
Il-gwang’s sword was pressed tight against his neck, glinting sharply.
“If you’ve turned your back on the secular world, act like it. The moment you interfere in others’ business, I won’t show mercy, whether it’s Yak Seon or anyone else.”
As if to show he was serious, Il-gwang tightened his grip. The blade cut slightly into the skin.
Seong Mu-yeon let out a sigh.
“It’s me, Il-gwang.”
At the familiar voice, Il-gwang stiffened. Seong Mu-yeon lightly pushed the sword away and slightly lifted his mask.
“Se… Seven Sons?”
Upon confirming the face revealed beneath the mask, Il-gwang’s eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. He hurriedly withdrew his sword.
“W-why are you in a place like this? And what is with that appearance? I truly thought you were Yak Seon’s servant!”
As Il-gwang fussed, Seong Mu-yeon smiled bitterly and covered his face with the mask again.
“Regardless, the fact that I’m like this is a secret, so I hope you won’t breathe a word.”
“No way, did you actually go under Yak Seon? Have you decided to leave the secular world and become a physician?”
Il-gwang’s pupils trembled in disbelief. He seemed to genuinely believe that Seong Mu-yeon had turned his back on the world.
“I happened to end up staying with Yak Seon, but it’s not like that.”
When Seong Mu-yeon waved his hand, Il-gwang relaxed, looking relieved.
“Phew, I see. Given what happened before, I thought the Seven Sons might have felt disillusionment with the world and sought refuge with Yak Seon.”
“…Is that so?”
As Il-gwang mentioned that incident, Seong Mu-yeon felt his heart sink heavily. Il-gwang seemed worried that he might have offended Seong Mu-yeon with his slip of the tongue.
“…How have you been? It doesn’t seem like you’ve been doing well.”
Il-gwang said, scanning Seong Mu-yeon from top to bottom.
A single day spent in the mountains with the masked servants was surprisingly long, but as those days accumulated, a month and a year passed in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, three years had flown by.
The medicine’s effect diminished over time, and his water lily fragrance training was sluggish. Yak Seon’s research also showed no great results, and only idle time passed him by.
“Yeah. I haven’t been doing well.”
The past three years had been a time of recovery for Seong Mu-yeon, but they were also a time spent in a death-like silence.
It felt as if he had entered and exited another world where time flowed differently from the outside. Il-gwang had lived his life, and Peng Do-hwan had lived his.
Gang Woong had grown tall and become an adult, and Baek Ryeo-il…
Seong Mu-yeon bit his lip.
While even Baek Ryeo-il was filling his life with new pleasures, what have I been doing?
Il-gwang waited quietly for Seong Mu-yeon to continue, but he changed the subject.
“More importantly, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“The reason you and the Black Shadow Unit came here. Is it because of the Poison Freak?”
Il-gwang’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was highly unusual for Il-gwang, the leader of the Black Shadow Unit—the direct guard of the Second Young Master, Seong Mu-ryong—to appear here in Lanzhou leading his subordinates.
However, since the Demonic Cult was currently fighting a civil war, it was understandable if it was to keep the opposing Divine Demon Sect in check. Owl had noticed this fact and instructed Seong Mu-yeon to chase Il-gwang.
“We received intelligence that the Third Young Master’s right-hand man, the Venomous Ox-Demon General, was hiding here, and while investigating, we found their base. The Poison Freak has contributed to raising the Third Young Master’s notoriety through vicious methods, so it was the First Young Master’s order to eliminate him, judging that his influence would wane if he were gone.”
As expected, the guess was correct. Il-gwang possessed the information they needed.
“…Could it be that the Seven Sons is also chasing him? Is that why you’re accompanying that fellow Baek Ryeo-il while pretending to be a servant? Even with that bastard from the Peng family?”
“…The Poison Freak took Yakseon Daein. I have to find him.”
“Even so, knowing what would happen if your identity were revealed, to do something this dangerous empty-handed without even a weapon…”
Il-gwang, who had been shouting in excitement, stopped mid-sentence. He suddenly groaned, covered his face, and bowed his head politely.
“I am sorry. You must have had a reason for doing it, and I have overstepped my bounds.”
“…W-why are you acting like this? It doesn’t suit you.”
“What do you mean? To me, the Seven Sons is the same as the Second Young Master. As a subordinate, it is only natural to respect my Lord and follow his will.”
Since when did you respect me like that?
Seong Mu-yeon could not hide his bewilderment at the sudden change in attitude.
“S-so, where is the Poison Freak hiding? Give me the information you found.”
“Yes, of course. The Poison Freak is hiding at Kilyeon Cliff. I recently learned that he has been secretly building a base there over several years, in a place rarely visited by people.”
Il-gwang spilled all the information he knew. He mentioned that they had established a hideout by modifying an abandoned mine at Kilyeon Cliff, and that their presence had not yet been exposed, and that the cliff itself was like a natural fortress, making access difficult.
“I have captured circumstances suggesting that if they feel threatened, they will collapse the entrance and possess enough supplies to hold out inside for several weeks, or even months. Furthermore, it is as complex as an ant hill, so the exact location of the leader, the Poison Freak, cannot be known, and they may have developed mine tunnels that open in all directions to create exits leading anywhere.”
“…It won’t be easy.”
It meant they must not be caught while approaching.
The problem was that because they held the geographical high ground, they could easily spot approaching enemies, and even if an enemy attacked, the terrain provided an advantage that made it easy to fend them off.
“To approach from the opposite side without being detected by them, we would have to go around the mountain range, which is expected to take more than fifteen days.”
“That’s too late. I have to find Yakseon Daein quickly. I don’t have fifteen days to waste.”
“…May I ask what is happening?”
Il-gwang asked cautiously.
While Seong Mu-yeon pondered for a moment whether he could trust him, he suddenly felt a massive presence approaching from afar. Il-gwang felt it too. Almost simultaneously, they both turned their heads in the same direction.
“Oh, damn it!”
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly contorted his face and spat out a curse, grabbing Seong Mu-yeon’s shoulder.
“Listen carefully. We will find Yak Seon. We will definitely find him and return him safely as soon as possible, so the Seven Sons must leave this place immediately.”
“What? Why!”
At that moment, Seong Mu-yeon felt a slow presence approaching from not far away.
Step, step.
The sound did not falter even while walking atop a shabby roof covered in planks. Before long, it reached right above his head.
“Hmm, what is all this chaos just because you couldn’t handle one simple task properly?”
At the sweet female voice heard from above, the hair on Seong Mu-yeon’s entire body stood on end. The terror of the past resurfaced.
It was Heukmajo.