By Zephyria Expert in Disappearances and Kidnappings (3)
Baek Ryeo-il was on the verge of dying from copying the thick Taoist Scripture ten times. He was fortunate that he didn’t have to copy all 170 volumes of the Taepeong Cheongnyeongseo*. This time, it was his turn to transcribe 132 volumes.
“Ugh… I can’t do it anymore.”
“Well, why did you do something to be punished for? It’s your own fault.”
Seong Mu-yeon, lying on the bed, rebuked him in a hoarse voice. He was wrapped tightly in a thick blanket, looking like a silkworm cocoon. He had fallen ill because he had been drenched in the cold rain that day.
“Master… Can’t I help you a little?”
Gang Woong fidgeted. Even though he had a mountain of his own studies to do, he couldn’t bear to watch his respected Master write until his arms fell off.
“…But, do you two have to do this in this small room? Please leave.”
“Ahem. You seem to have forgotten that the bed you’re lying on, the blanket you’re covering yourself with, and even the pillow you’re using are all mine.”
“Cough, cough… How dirty and petty.”
Eventually, Baek Ryeo-il threw down his brush. He leaned back in his chair with his arms behind his head and muttered.
“It’s strangely quiet.”
Although the subject was omitted, Seong Mu-yeon understood who he was referring to. Jang Han-soo hadn’t done anything since then. In fact, he had hardly shown his face. Recovering from the aftereffects of Qi deviation was the priority for now, so he wasn’t worried for the time being, but it was strange that there was no news even after a few days.
“Maybe… Maybe he was serious. Cough… Maybe he really understood me generously and was thinking about the benefits of Hwasan…”
Gang Woong glanced at the two adults and carefully picked up the dropped brush. Then, he began to transcribe in place of Baek Ryeo-il.
“Jang Han-soo? You don’t know him.”
Baek Ryeo-il, who had grown up with him as Senior Brother, knew him well. Jang Han-soo had been clashing with Baek Ryeo-il since the year he first entered. He seemed to think of him as a rival in his own way.
He was the type to wear a mask of kindness and smile in front of others, but cause trouble behind their backs. Unlike Baek Ryeo-il, who didn’t know how to flatter at all, he was someone who knew how to manipulate adults like candy in his mouth.
Seong Mu-yeon wasn’t too worried.
Even so, Jang Han-soo was one of the characters who played an active role as a hero in the original work. He had never oppressed the weak or done anything against morality.
However, his hatred for the Demonic Cult itself was genuine…
‘He’ll probably get bullied a bit.’
“Gang Woong, what are you doing?”
Baek Ryeo-il, who discovered Gang Woong transcribing in his place, shouted sternly. Gang Woong was startled and dropped the brush.
“I-I-I’m sorry… As a Junior Brother, I just wanted to assist Master…”
“Your handwriting is too different. Your Grandmaster will notice right away. Write more messily. Roughly. Yes. Like that! Good job.”
Gang Woong’s cheeks flushed with his Master’s praise.
Seong Mu-yeon was dumbfounded. A boy like a blank sheet of paper was now being tainted black…
“I’m going to tell Ma Instructor… Cough!”
“Try it if you don’t value your life.”
Baek Ryeo-il snarled fiercely. However, he was worried that he might really tell Ma Jin-cheon, so he sent Gang Woong out. But he didn’t forget to pack paper and brushes for him to copy.
‘Kind and pure Gang Instructor… No…!’
However, Seong Mu-yeon, who didn’t have the energy to argue, could only let him go.
“…Please. Baek Instructor’s life is already ruined, but Gang Instructor is a rising star who is just beginning to bloom. Please don’t ruin Gang Instructor.”
“What did I do?”
“You seem to have forgotten why you’re being punished this time… Not everyone lives like Instructor.
Baek Ryeo-il snorted mockingly.
“Take care of yourself first. You’re in no position to talk when you’re so weak from just getting a little rain.”
“Instructor is too… Cough… Strong.”
Even his cough sounded weak.
Baek Ryeo-il frowned and stormed out. Not long after, he brought a small brazier. He put charcoal in it, and the warm heat gently warmed the air.
Seong Mu-yeon hugged the brazier and enjoyed the warmth, but suddenly became uneasy.
“Don’t tell me you stole this from somewhere too?”
“What do you take me for!”
“A thief.”
“……”
The bathtub he had prepared for him before turned out to have been stolen from someone. It would be fortunate if he had taken it from a Junior Brother or Junior Sister of a lower rank, but judging from Baek Ryeo-il’s usual attitude, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had swiped something from a Senior Uncle or Elder.
“No. I brought it from the storage. And I’m really wronged, you know? There’s no private property in the Taoist Sect. He’s just being weird. Is he going to hoard his wealth and carry it with him when he ascends to immortality later? Seriously, those guys are ridiculous.”
The atmosphere changed in an instant. Baek Ryeo-il, who had been grumbling for a while, seemed to quiet down and glanced at him. A hint of sinister intent crossed his eyes.
“But you know… I wonder if the Art of the Bedchamber is effective even when you have a cold?”
“Don’t even dream about it.”
Seong Mu-yeon cut him off.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“I’m not curious.”
“Tch.”
Seong Mu-yeon hugged the brazier and stuck to the wall as much as possible. He had no intention of experiencing the pain of having his buttocks split in two again.
A few days later, Seong Mu-yeon learned a little about Jang Han-soo’s intentions.
It was not long after he had fully recovered thanks to a good rest and started going back to work in the Finance Division.
When he opened the door to the Finance Division, he couldn’t see the people who should have been buried in piles of ledgers, looking exhausted from being tormented since dawn.
“Huh?”
Seong Mu-yeon was soon able to find them.
The main gate of Mount Hua was wide enough for dozens of people to walk side by side, and that space was filled with Disciples.
He was wondering why everyone was gathered and making such a fuss since dawn when he heard a middle-aged woman shouting loudly from the center of the crowd.
“Tell the Sect leader to come out!”
The person she was pointing at was none other than the First Elder of Hwasan. The First Elder, whose beard was white, was of the same generation as the Sect leader, as they were Senior Brothers.
On the other hand, the middle-aged woman was only in her forties or fifties. In any case, she was far too young to be pointing at a superior.
“M-Madam Seomun, please calm down. The Sect leader is busy with official duties…”
She was the Madam of the Seomun Clan. She was dressed in silk clothes that looked expensive at a glance, and she looked like a noble Madam with all sorts of accessories that sparkled. In addition, several experts with fierce auras stood behind her like guardians, protecting her.
“Ah, so! I just need to take that Young master!
“Instead of doing this, you should send an official letter stating your business, whatever it may be…”
“Enough! Either the Sect leader or that Young master, one of them must be brought before me, or you’ll see something nasty!”
Among the dense heads of people wearing similar clothes, Seong Mu-yeon spotted Wang Ho-jun and his Junior Brothers and slowly approached them.
“Instructor, what’s going on?”
“Oh, don’t even ask. That Madam has been demanding to see the Demonic Cult Young master since dawn… Yo, Young master?”
Only then did he recognize Seong Mu-yeon’s face and covered his mouth. Then, he pressed his head down to make him bow.
“Shh! Stay hidden quietly. You can see it, right? She came to find the Young master, but it doesn’t seem like she has good intentions.”
Seong Mu-yeon quickly nodded. He curled up as if he were about to dig into the ground.
He had been having no peaceful days while staying in Hwasan, and he absolutely refused to get involved in troublesome things again.
Wang Ho-jun saw Seong Mu-yeon’s proactive attitude and let go of his mouth.
“…But why are they looking for me?”
“I don’t know because she won’t say. She’s just stubbornly demanding that we hand you over…”
Wang Ho-jun shook his head.
“The Seomun Clan is a family that has recently been making a name for itself with their way of the sword. Moreover, they run a large merchant guild, but even if their power is soaring to the sky… To act like this.”
He clenched his fist and trembled with anger.
No matter how famous the Seomun Clan was, it was only a family that had not even entered the Five Great Clans. Even if the heads of the Namgung or Tang families came, they would have to show respect to the Elder, but to point at him like that…
Whether that attitude was a bluff or not, Seong Mu-yeon could easily predict that he would not be able to recover his bones if he got caught by that woman.
‘Even the Hwasan Sect leader isn’t scary to her, so how easy would the Demonic Cult Seventh Young master be?’
The fact that the Seventh Young master was staying in Hwasan was a public secret that some people knew and some people didn’t. If it had reached Madam Seomun’s ears, it meant that everyone who had connections in the Murim world knew about it.