By Zephyria 
Baek Ryeo-il sighed, his expression softening as he spoke gently.
“I let things go your way before, so this time, do as I say.”
Seong Mu-yeon bit his lip. It was foul play to soothe him so tenderly only to do this.
To leave him behind while heading toward a place of certain death.
However, burdened by his own guilt, he could not bring himself to argue.
“And if you get the chance, return to Xinjiang. Among your mother’s belongings, there should be an old book. It is a medical secret left by the Divine Physician. Find that book and show it to Yak Seon when he returns.”
“What do you mean by that! No, I understand, so just promise me that you will definitely come back.”
Seong Mu-yeon hated how Baek Ryeo-il was acting, as if he were saying his final farewells.
“……I can’t make such a promise. No, I won’t. Don’t wait for me.”
“What did you say?”
Seong Mu-yeon doubted his own ears.
“Of course, I will try my best to return alive, but I don’t make promises I cannot keep. Even if I don’t return, you will live well. Just as you have until now.”
Seong Mu-yeon could not refute those words. Even without him, he would somehow manage to enjoy his daily life. He would miss him on occasional lonely and desolate days, but he would strive to live while forgetting.
That was the kind of person Seong Mu-yeon was. During the three years they were apart, Baek Ryeo-il had searched for him relentlessly. He had not hesitated to ruin his relationships with his comrades, his Master, and his Sect Gate.
But what about Seong Mu-yeon? Occasionally, he would be swept away by a faint longing whenever Baek Ryeo-il crossed his mind, but normally, he was simply too busy living his own life.
“This is different. It’s different from back then……! Dojang? Dojang!”
Despite Seong Mu-yeon’s desperate calls, Baek Ryeo-il turned away coldly and stepped inside. Immediately, the martial artists of the Hwasan Sect blocked his view completely.
Overwhelmed by shock, Seong Mu-yeon stood there blankly for a long time, devastated.
He couldn’t understand what had happened.
Until they arrived in Lanzhou, the two of them had been perfectly fine. He never expected him to change so abruptly, as if flipping a palm.
No matter how much Seong Mu-yeon raged, the gatekeepers stood firm, refusing to let him take a single step inside.
As the commotion grew at the gate, passing disciples glanced over, but no one helped Seong Mu-yeon.
Once he realized that nothing he did would work, Seong Mu-yeon had no choice but to turn back.
Couldn’t he at least say he would return, even if it were just a hollow promise? Yet, he told him not to wait…….
With his mind in chaos, he walked wherever his feet led him, and before he knew it, he was at Demon Subjugation Valley. It was a place where hundreds had once fought, but now only the traces remained. The front yard of Demon Subjugation Valley, where only a few people remained to clean up the aftermath, felt eerie.
A few were attempting to break through the collapsed mine tunnels.
Seong Mu-yeon knew from Baek Ryeo-il that Demon Subjugation Valley had collapsed due to internal explosions. However, seeing it with his own eyes, it didn’t seem much different from before, making it hard to believe.
Seong Mu-yeon spotted a familiar back. It was Bang Gyeom. He was staring at the site where the tunnels were being excavated, his shoulders slumped lifelessly.
Seeing Bang Gyeom naturally brought Seong Mu-jae to mind. Thinking of Seong Mu-jae, who failed to escape Demon Subjugation Valley even in death, caused a sharp ache in his chest.
He couldn’t bring himself to approach Bang Gyeom and speak. What right did he have to face him, having been the only one to survive?
However, Bang Gyeom noticed Seong Mu-yeon first and slowly approached.
“I am glad to see you are safe.”
Unexpectedly, Bang Gyeom greeted him with a smile. The lifeless smile on his gaunt face looked even more sorrowful.
“I intend to return to my family now. The Sixth Young Master would…….”
Bang Gyeom paused as if his voice were choking, cleared his throat, and continued.
“The Sixth Young Master would want that. I stayed behind to try and recover the body, but it seems it will be difficult.”
“Bang Gyeom…….”
“Please visit Wuhan sometime. I will introduce you to my family. Was the Seven Sons not the brother the Lord cherished most?”
Was that so? Before leaving the Demonic Cult, he hadn’t had much interaction with Seong Mu-jae. However, after meeting him again in this land, he had discovered many new sides of him. Seong Mu-yeon was also the one who stayed by his side in his final moments.
“The Sixth Young Master is sleeping peacefully, so you no longer need to worry.”
Bang Gyeom looked at Demon Subjugation Valley for a moment, then turned and walked away. He did not look back once until he disappeared from sight.
He was sad, but by confirming Seong Mu-jae’s death, he seemed to have completely let go of his lingering attachments. In a way, he looked relieved to be free from the worry over Seong Mu-jae.
Now it was Seong Mu-yeon’s turn to be in Bang Gyeom’s position.
But he couldn’t do that. Forget him and live even if he dies? What does he take him for? How could he do that!
For the past three years, he had known that Baek Ryeo-il was alive somewhere. He could avoid worrying because he knew the man was breathing somewhere in the world under the same sun. But now, the situation was completely different.
There was no way he could sleep soundly after sending Baek Ryeo-il to a battlefield where his life could be taken at any moment.
“Young Master! You were here!”
Before long, Seomun Yuha ran toward him, a bright smile on his handsome face. However, he stopped abruptly when he met Seong Mu-yeon’s gaze.
“W-why is your expression like that? Did something bad happen?”
“Something bad…… yes. A lot of things.”
He wasn’t even curious about how Seomun Yuha knew where to find him. Without a doubt, Baek Ryeo-il had sent him to keep an eye on Seong Mu-yeon. Since there weren’t many places Seong Mu-yeon would go, he must have found him quickly.
“Ah……. A-anyway, let’s go. I have prepared a place for you to stay.”
Seomun Yuha was staying at a merchant guild under his family’s control located in Lanzhou. Owl was also staying there, thanks to his consideration. Fortunately, Owl didn’t seem to be seriously injured.
“How is your body? Are you okay……? Do you have the medicine……?”
Owl asked. Seong Mu-yeon nodded. He was carefully keeping the pills he had received when Jegal Yeom-gang came to see him.
“I see……. A response came from the martial alliance a moment ago……. The martial alliance has decided to step in for this matter. We can leave Yakseon Daein to them. Our job is done.”
“Then what will you do now?”
“We have to go back. The kids will be waiting for us…….”
As if he had been waiting only for the moment to return, Owl immediately began packing his things. He looked anxious to leave Lanzhou right this second. For someone who lived apart from the secular world, a large city like Lanzhou or places where many people gathered didn’t seem very pleasant.
“S-still, isn’t it a bit unsettling to go back like this? What if something goes wrong?”
“If we stay…… will something that’s not supposed to work suddenly work……?”
Owl pointed out sharply.
“O-of course not, but I want to stay and watch until Yakseon Daein is rescued.”
At that, Owl’s gaze turned cold.
“You had no choice but to search for the Daein yourself before, but you’re volunteering for something dangerous again……? Do you know how many people suffered to save you……? No. You have no choice in this.”
“That’s right. It would be better for the Young Master to return to a safe place. We will rescue Yakseon Daein, so please don’t worry!”
Seomun Yuha chimed in to support Owl. For some reason, not a single person was on his side.
Rationally, they were right. Since the martial alliance had decided to take action, two servants of Yakseon, who weren’t even part of the combat strength, would only hinder the operation if they joined.
But Seong Mu-yeon did not want to leave.
“Stop thinking useless thoughts and let’s go back quietly, youngest…….”
With years of experience, Owl knew Seong Mu-yeon well. He approached slowly, as if trying to suppress him before he could truly rebel.
“Yes. You have no idea how surprised I was when you collapsed. We can’t repeat the same mistake.”
Even Seomun Yuha closed in on Seong Mu-yeon with an apologetic expression.
“I don’t want to! I said I don’t want to!”
However, the difference in their martial prowess was too great for him to do anything. He couldn’t even brush against their clothes.
Just as Seong Mu-yeon leaped away, one of Seomun Yuha’s subordinates happened to be entering the room.
“Young Master Seomun, the various sects have called a meeting, so you must go right now— Ack!”
“Oops!”
Seong Mu-yeon twisted his body narrowly, avoiding the subordinate and slipping out of the room.
“Young Master! Where are you going! Boys, catch him!”
Seomun Yuha’s shout quickly faded into the distance. Seong Mu-yeon dodged the charging hulking martial artists and escaped the merchant guild. Having barely escaped, he recalled what he had just heard.
‘A meeting? The various sects called a meeting?’
Surely, an agenda that would determine future plans would be presented at that meeting. He had to attend no matter what.
However, Lanzhou was too large a city to wander around aimlessly.
‘Various sects’ likely referred to the sects and families that participated in the Demon Subjugation Valley incident. To hold a meeting where several sects were on equal footing, they would certainly avoid a place where influence was concentrated in one area.
If so, where would the meeting hall be?