By Zephyria 
* * *
Peng Yuan-jin had his subordinates bind Seong Mu-yeon’s right arm to a chain hanging on the wall. After ordering them to take turns monitoring him, he entered a private space located deep within the dungeon.
Seeing him return shortly, it didn’t seem like he had slept, but rather that he had recovered a bit of his strength through internal energy circulation. The reason he couldn’t get proper rest was, naturally, because of Peng Do-hwan.
Even amidst all that chaos, Peng Do-hwan had not regained consciousness; instead, his complexion grew worse, and his breathing and pulse became unstable.
Eventually, Peng Yuan-jin brought a physician back to examine him and engaged in a long conversation. Then, he hurried off somewhere.
‘Peng Do-hwan’s condition seems to be quite bad.’
A brief flicker of worry crossed Seong Mu-yeon’s mind, but he soon turned his head away coldly.
‘It’s his own fault.’
No one had threatened Peng Do-hwan to force the use of his Innate True Qi.
“Excuse me. Where is my luggage?”
Turning his attention away from Peng Do-hwan, Seong Mu-yeon shifted his gaze to the Demonic human standing by the wall. His body was exhausted and his eyelids felt stiff after staying awake all night, but it didn’t seem like he could fall asleep right now.
“There should be some medicinal herbs in there. I have to take medicine every morning. Could you bring it to me?”
Seong Mu-yeon pleaded with the most harmless expression he could muster. However, the Demonic humans didn’t even look at him. Of course, they didn’t answer either.
“You’re being too harsh. Then at least give me some food. My stomach is sticking to my back.”
“…….”
“At the very least, give me a blanket so I can sleep!”
“…….”
“……And what happens if I need to go to the restroom? Do you untie me then? Or do you bring me a chamber pot?”
Undeterred, Seong Mu-yeon asked again, rattling the chains, but still, there was no answer. When he grew stubborn and pretended to loosen his waistband, claiming he would ‘just do it right here,’ they remained unfazed. It seemed Peng Yuan-jin had thoroughly trained them not to be fooled twice after being outsmarted by Seong Mu-jae once.
‘How boring.’
Seong Mu-yeon grumbled and slumped over haphazardly. Because his bound arm was tied at an awkward height, he could neither sit nor lie down properly. Peng Yuan-jin truly knew how to torture a person.
‘I need to get out of here quickly.’
His life had been extended thanks to Seong Mu-jae’s quick wit, but he had absolutely no intention of begging the Third Young Master to take him back.
Not only did it seem unlikely that the Third Young Master would forgive him and give him a second chance, as Seong Mu-jae claimed, but thinking of him gave Seong Mu-yeon an inexplicably uneasy feeling.
Despite being born into the same family and growing up together, Seong Mu-yeon and he had almost no points of contact. It was to the extent that their first real conversation had occurred at the Zegal Clan.
Just as he didn’t know the man, the man likely didn’t know him, yet that strangely confident attitude was suspicious. It went beyond mere uneasiness, bordering on an ominous and chilling sensation.
Having lived as the underdog his entire life, Seong Mu-yeon had a particularly keen intuition for such things.
Furthermore… while Baek Ryeo-il had retreated for now, his biggest worry was when and how the man might commit another act of madness.
He was the type of person who never let go of a goal once he had set it. Now that he had tasted the bitterness of defeat, there was a high probability he would return to attack again.
However, no matter how thoroughly he prepared, the other side would prepare countermeasures accordingly, making the outcome difficult to predict.
The most ideal solution was to escape before a second round began. Along with Seong Mu-jae.
‘I should… take Peng Do-hwan too, right?’
It didn’t seem like Peng Yuan-jin would harm him, and considering what he had done, Seong Mu-yeon desperately wanted to leave him behind.
Yet, the thought of ignoring him while he was unconscious weighed on his mind. He needed to be in a state where he could at least perceive the situation to deal with whatever happened; leaving him in an unconscious state was practically the same as telling him to die.
Ultimately, Seong Mu-yeon postponed the decision and began pondering ways to escape, eventually falling asleep at some point.
“Do-hwan, are you awake?”
Dozing off in an uncomfortable posture, he snapped his eyes open at the sound of Peng Yuan-jin’s voice.
“Brother…?”
“Yes. It’s me. How is your body?”
It seemed Peng Do-hwan had regained consciousness. Empty decoction bowls and various medicinal herbs were scattered messily near the bed, suggesting several attempts had been made while Seong Mu-yeon was asleep.
“This is a dream too. Isn’t it?”
“No, it is not a dream. Tell me where it hurts.”
“……Everywhere hurts.”
As Peng Do-hwan slowly pushed himself up, Peng Yuan-jin quickly supported his waist to help him.
“I told you repeatedly to fix your habit of getting overexcited, so how did you end up in this state? Forcing your Innate True Qi? You’ve lost your mind.”
“Haha…… Yes, I suppose I deserve to be scolded, don’t I?”
“Ridiculous! It seems the fever has affected your head.”
From Seong Mu-yeon’s perspective, Peng Do-hwan still seemed to believe he was dreaming. Upon opening his eyes, he was in a completely unfamiliar place, and since his attention was entirely focused on his dead brother, he didn’t even notice Seong Mu-yeon tied up in the corner.
“First, eat some food. Even if your stomach feels unsettled, you must eat and recover some strength to endure.”
“Endure? ……If this isn’t a dream, am I dead too? Is this the afterlife?”
“Who is dead? Neither I nor you are dead.”
“……What does that…… Wh-where is this? Brother? Are you…… really my brother?”
Peng Do-hwan’s voice grew increasingly tinged with confusion.
“Stay still. You’ll fall.”
Peng Do-hwan began to struggle. Peng Yuan-jin tried to calm him, but the agitation did not subside; it only grew more violent. Eventually, Peng Do-hwan rolled off the bed, knocking over the tray of food and spilling the soup and rice onto the floor.
“That, that man…… Brother! Why are you with that man?”
Having escaped the bed, Peng Do-hwan finally spotted Seong Mu-yeon and turned pale as if he had seen a ghost.
“That, that, that man…… is a wicked person who not only insulted you, Brother, but also slandered our deceased First Aunt with absurd rumors!”
Peng Yuan-jin glanced at Seong Mu-yeon stuck to the wall and let out a small sigh. As he picked up the fallen plates and bowls, he asked his younger brother back.
“What did he slander you with?”
“Th-that…… it was something too foul to even mention.”
“‘That your mother was murdered and her body was desecrated’…… something like that?”
“……Brother? How do you know that……”
“Sit down for now. I’ll have them bring more food.”
Dazed, Peng Do-hwan sat back on the bed as his brother led him. With trembling eyes, he looked back and forth between Peng Yuan-jin, who was giving instructions to a subordinate, and Seong Mu-yeon, who was tied to the wall.
Suddenly, Peng Do-hwan bolted upright. However, he soon felt a strong wave of dizziness and collapsed back down.
“Goodness, you mustn’t move so violently. Your body is not normal right now.”
Peng Do-hwan violently pushed away Peng Yuan-jin as he approached to support him.
“No! You are not my brother! My brother is dead! He can never come back!”
“Do-hwan.”
“Don’t come near me!”
However, Peng Yuan-jin easily subdued Peng Do-hwan, who was in a state more powerless than an average civilian.
“You must be confused. I understand. But this is reality. Look closely. I am not dead; I am alive and well.”
“Let me go!”
“I cannot let you go until you calm down.”
A scuffle ensued for a while. Peng Do-hwan struggled convulsively, and Peng Yuan-jin pressed the back of his head down onto the bed.
Seong Mu-yeon watched the Peng brothers with bated breath. Considering how it felt to find out Peng Yuan-jin was alive, he could imagine the immense shock Peng Do-hwan must have felt.
It was only after about fifteen minutes that Peng Do-hwan’s struggling subsided. It was less that he had calmed down and more that he had run out of strength to resist.
“……Are you really my brother?”
He panted, still glaring at Peng Yuan-jin, who was pinning him down, with eyes full of distrust.
“Yes, it is I.”
At that moment, Seong Mu-yeon and Peng Do-hwan’s eyes met. Peng Yuan-jin did not miss their brief exchange of glances.
“Yes, Young Master Seong Mu-yeon is innocent.”
“…….”
It was finally the moment Seong Mu-yeon was cleared of the false accusations. But he wasn’t happy at all.
“Do you feel relieved now? Are you satisfied now that your brother has ended up in that state because of what you did?”
Despite Seong Mu-yeon’s sarcasm, Peng Yuan-jin ignored him completely, as if he didn’t exist, and spoke to his brother.
“If you promise not to resist, I will let you go.”
After some deliberation, Peng Do-hwan gave a small nod, and the brief physical struggle finally ended.
Peng Do-hwan became quiet, but he still looked anxious, as if the confusion had not yet faded. It would be abnormal if he easily accepted the situation—that Seong Mu-yeon, whom he had hunted for a long time as the enemy who killed his brother, had not actually killed him, and that his brother, whom he thought was dead, was alive.
“You know your own condition well. A person who loses their Innate True Qi cannot last long before they die. Why on earth did you go around doing such reckless things? It’s a stroke of luck that I have a way to treat you.”
Peng Yuan-jin watched closely to see if there were any signs of further resistance before taking a small box from his robe.
“……What is this?”
Unlike Peng Do-hwan, Seong Mu-yeon immediately recognized the identity of the pill inside the box. It was a Spirit Pill.
Suddenly, a feeling of anxiety washed over him.
From whom had that Spirit Pill been extracted?