By Zephyria 
Three years ago, Seong Mu-yeon had luckily managed to land a blow on Seong Mu-geuk. Seeing as he had ordered him to be captured and turned into a Spirit Pill, it seemed that being hit back then had left him quite resentful.
Narrow-minded, as always.
Although the two were currently debating over his own life, Seong Mu-yeon was more interested in something else.
What happened to the fight? Is Baek Ryeo-il safe?
Given Baek Ryeo-il’s tenacious personality, there was no way he would have simply returned, which meant someone must have been rendered combat-ineffective. Peng Yuan-jin looked exhausted, but he didn’t seem to be injured.
Though he hoped it wasn’t the case, Seong Mu-yeon felt anxious, worrying that Baek Ryeo-il might have been seriously hurt.
“Are you curious about what happened to the Heartless Sword?”
Peng Yuan-jin asked, having noticed his inner thoughts. He seemed pleased to have regained control of the conversation, his eyes curving into a soft smile.
“…….”
Peng Yuan-jin was the only person who could provide information about the outside. Though reluctant, Seong Mu-yeon gave a small nod. At that, Peng Yuan-jin’s smile deepened.
“As expected, the Heartless Sword was not an easy opponent. He was already exceptional before, but it seems his martial arts have become even more profound after slaying so many of our martial artists.”
Peng Yuan-jin continued slowly, as if to flaunt his knowledge.
“Despite the unfavorable situation, seeing him charge relentlessly throughout the night without tiring was almost terrifying. Good heavens, just how many of my subordinate warriors did I lose last night? I had put quite a bit of effort into raising those children.”
“……Stop rambling and I would appreciate it if you just gave me the conclusion.”
Seong Mu-yeon spat out each word as if chewing through them, suppressing the boiling frustration inside.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish him off. He retreated, taking the Heartless Sword’s disciple with him.”
“Ha……”
A wave of relief washed over Seong Mu-yeon, and he slid down to sit on the floor.
“By the way, Sixth Young Master, how long do you intend to stand there? I have understood perfectly well what you meant, so please show some consideration for a man who has been fighting all night.”
“Then I shall take Mu-yeon—”
“No, I think I’ll feel more at ease if I keep an eye on the Seventh Young Master, so leave him behind.”
Peng Yuan-jin stopped Seong Mu-jae, who was attempting to take Seong Mu-yeon away.
“Is that really necessary?”
“I believe it is.”
“…….”
Seong Mu-jae dragged his feet reluctantly as he departed.
And so, the first night in the Demon Subjugation Valley was passing.
* * *
When Jegal Un arrived in Lanzhou, he was greeted by a chaotic atmosphere, like the aftermath of a storm.
Every person passing through the streets whispered with anxious faces, and on one side of the main road, it wasn’t hard to find people clearing the debris left by a violent battle.
Something serious had definitely happened.
After inquiring around for a short while, Jegal Un was able to find Gang Woong and Owl sitting gloomily on the first floor of a house of courtesans.
“Were we discovered?”
Without even a greeting, Jegal Un started with a question. Only then did Gang Woong, noticing the approaching Jegal Un, gape in surprise at the unexpected appearance. Owl, however, simply nodded silently as if he were used to this.
“I see.”
Having obtained the most important piece of information with a single short answer, Jegal Un let out a long sigh and took an empty seat.
“D-did the Young Family Head already know? Where Young Master Seong Mu-yeon was?”
“…….”
Jegal Un glanced up at the boy. Instead of answering, he rubbed his forehead as if tired and posed another question to Owl.
“Is he dead?”
Owl shook his head. The relief was short-lived, as Jegal Un let out a cold sneer.
“What on earth were you thinking, following Peng Do-hwan and Baek Ryeo-il? You couldn’t have been unaware that it would end up like this. Looking at the state of things, it seems you couldn’t even save Yak Seon.”
Before finding them, Jegal Un had learned a great deal through the rumors people were whispering.
Starting from stories of martial artists rioting in the marketplace last night, a significant number of people had heard distant explosions echoing from the direction of Kilyeon Cliff, and some claimed they had barely escaped after being captured by the Demonic Cult.
Gathering the scattered fragments of information, Jegal Un judged that the series of events that occurred in the Lanzhou area was not simply due to Seong Mu-yeon’s identity being revealed.
“Young Master Peng and Young Master Seong…… were captured by the Demonic Cult.”
“Ha, what a variety of failures. The ones who went to rescue him ended up getting captured themselves? It’s obvious. How long did they think they could hide their identities with a mere mask? It must have slipped or broken, eventually revealing them. Peng Do-hwan, with his fiery temperament typical of the Peng bloodline, probably went mad and tried to kill Seong Mu-yeon on the spot. In a situation where they should have been cautious and devising a strategy, he lost his mind and caused a ruckus right in the enemy’s front yard, so the enemies wouldn’t have just stood by. Whether they killed them or silenced them, they must have taken action to quell the commotion. You can’t tell me they truly didn’t see this coming.”
Jegal Un clicked his tongue. At the scathing criticism, Gang Woong’s complexion turned dark, and his head bowed lower and lower like a ripened stalk of rice.
“And where is the Heartless Sword? Surely he didn’t do something as stupid as charging into the enemy camp single-handedly?”
Eventually, Gang Woong buried his head, exposing the crown of his scalp.
“…….”
Witnessing a man carrying one limp person under his arm and another on his shoulder, Baek Ryeo-il immediately pursued him fiercely.
Whether it was intentional or not, the man led Baek Ryeo-il deep into Kilyeon Cliff, and soon, enemies poured out from everywhere. Baek Ryeo-il slashed through the charging Demonic humans, leaping and sprinting across the sheer cliffs as if they were flat ground.
However, he could not reach the summit in the end. With boiling oil and rocks being thrown from above, and a hidden Master occasionally firing sword auras as a threat, he frequently plummeted back down the road.
The fact that the fight between the hundreds or thousands of enemies hiding in the natural fortress and Baek Ryeo-il alone lasted until sunrise was a feat in itself.
But even if Baek Ryeo-il collapsed from exhaustion, he could not break through the iron-wall defense.
In the end, Gang Woong had to find him after great hardship and forcibly drag him back. Even that was no easy task, as Baek Ryeo-il resisted, refusing to leave.
“Did you think you could break through that iron-wall fortress alone? You should have requested reinforcements!”
“But there are only a few small sects in Lanzhou. As soon as we returned to Lanzhou, Master tried to inquire, but isn’t the influence of the Demonic Cult piercing the heavens these days? No sect stepped forward to help……”
Regardless, it was a foolish act. Thanks to that, the enemies would now lock their gates tight and establish an even more stringent defensive posture.
“So, where is the Heartless Sword? Seeing as he’s not here, is he injured?”
At Jegal Un’s question, Gang Woong shook his head.
“He went to Bogye City on the border of Shaanxi Province. The Sect Gate is gathered there……”
“To request reinforcements?”
In Shaanxi Province, two Great Sects, Mount Hua and Jongnam, were located. The two sects were each responsible for the south and north, stationing disciples at key strategic points to respond immediately in times of crisis.
“Do you think Mount Hua would provide troops, Little Leader?”
Jegal Un asked in a skeptical tone, as if he didn’t expect much. Gang Woong’s face also hardened.
“No…… Since this incident occurred while Master was acting independently in violation of the Sect Gate’s orders, and it happened in a foreign land, the Hwasan Sect has no reason to provide troops. Also……”
Gang Woong glanced behind him. There, a woman was giving various instructions to her subordinates with a serious expression.
“According to the Haoh Gate’s explanation, people from the Peng Clan are already coming here. They said their original purpose was to escort Young Master Peng immediately after obtaining his location, but now the purpose has changed.”
“……The Habeok Peng Clan is coming?”
Jegal Un’s face contorted, and he pressed his hand to his forehead.
“Why is that? If it’s the Habeok Peng Clan, one of the five great families, they should be more than enough to deal with them—”
Gang Woong stopped mid-sentence, swallowing the rest of his words. He had realized what Jegal Un was worried about.
“The Peng Clan is going to save Seong Mu-yeon? You might as well say a dog is going to save a monkey. If it’s the Peng Clan, it’ll be lucky if they don’t just kill Seong Mu-yeon the moment they find him.”
“T-that’s…… But Young Master Seong did not kill Young Master Peng Yuan-jin. Nor did Young Master Peng Do-hwan!”
“When the Peng Clan arrives, why don’t you try persuading them, Little Leader? Not that those stubborn people would ever listen. It’ll be lucky if they don’t just pin the blame on Seong Mu-yeon again, claiming he dug a trap to lure Young Master Peng Do-hwan.”
“This can’t be…… Then what do we do?”
“Unless the Heartless Sword manages to drag the Hwasan Sect along, we have to assume there’s no hope.”
“Ah, so that’s why Master……”
That was why Baek Ryeo-il had bolted the moment he heard the news from Gyo Hong. It seemed he hadn’t taken him along in order to reach Shaanxi as quickly as possible.
“…….”
Gang Woong looked back at Owl as if seeking help. However, Owl simply stared silently at the table, as if he hadn’t even been listening to their conversation.