By Zephyria I need to get out of here. (6)
It was obvious.
The Demonic Cult was a group that moved as one, with fierce loyalty to the top. To be precise, it was worship of the absolute martial arts of his father, the Cult Leader, but his child, Seong Mu-yeon, was also entitled to issue similar orders to some extent. Especially in this dangerous situation.
“Is there anyone here who doesn’t want to sacrifice themselves, who thinks it’s better to save themselves than the Seventh Young master?”
No one moved.
“Really, no one? It’s okay to speak up. There shouldn’t be any dissatisfaction, even a little.”
“……Seventh Young master, this is not the time for that. And do not test our faith. It is an insult.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Seong Mu-yeon smiled bitterly. This was the Demonic Cult. It was also the reason he wanted to escape. Being among these crazy bastards who valued their lives less than flies made him feel like he was going insane.
“Anyway, Baek Ryeo-il won’t go back and will chase me to the end. There’s no doubt about that.”
“Yes.”
“Baek Ryeo-il is skilled in tracking, so he’ll quickly find the footprints we left behind. To be exact, the traces of Il-gwang, and your Black Shadow Unit.”
“……Surely.”
“Yes. You will each split up and move from here. Baek Ryeo-il will think one of you is taking me, which will be enough to confuse him.”
“And in the meantime, the Seventh Young master will move alone.”
Seong Mu-yeon nodded.
“I’ll blend in with the people. A martial arts expert is hard to trace, so it’s easy to identify them. But people like me, commoners who haven’t learned martial arts, are too numerous and lack distinguishing features, making it difficult to identify them.”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Il-gwang understood but added worriedly.
“But it could be really dangerous. The Seventh Young master can’t even do simple self-defense, can he? If you’re unlucky, you could lose your life to some back alley thugs.”
He relentlessly hit Seong Mu-yeon’s sore spots with a very pitiful face. Was he supposed to be grateful for this?
“Still, it’s better odds than fighting Baek Ryeo-il, right? And don’t worry. Haven’t you seen how I handle Baek Ryeo-il? I’ll survive somehow, so come find me later.”
“……Where will you go?”
Seong Mu-yeon’s face crumpled.
“What’s the point of telling you that? What if one of you gets caught and tortured? Why don’t you just offer my head instead?”
“……I am confident that I will not speak even if tortured.”
At Il-gwang’s words, the entire Black Shadow Unit nodded.
Seong Mu-yeon was speechless and gaped.
“Ah, forget it! I’ll leave enough traces so you can find me! Or I might come to meet you!”
He said that, but Seong Mu-yeon was planning to hide so well that no one could find him, so they wouldn’t get any clues.
He smiled slyly inside.
‘I’m getting rid of Il-gwang and the Black Shadow Unit all at once!’
It was all thanks to Baek Ryeo-il. As expected, the protagonist is the best.
“If you get caught by Baek Ryeo-il, just beg on your knees. That’s the only way to survive. Got it?”
At those words, Il-gwang sneered.
“I will not do such a thing. I would rather die than bow my head to the orthodox sect bastards and live a cowardly life. The Black Shadow Unit will be the same.”
“No, I don’t understand. Does pride save your life? Or feed you? Why are you so stubborn?”
“The Seventh Young master is the unusual one.”
“Ugh, fine. Do as you please. Go now.”
Il-gwang and the Black Shadow Unit turned around. Then, Seong Mu-yeon shouted, belatedly remembering something.
“Wait!”
“What is it?”
“Give me everything you have before you go.”
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon robbed them of all the money, food, and medical supplies they had that could be used for first aid.
“I couldn’t bring what was stored in the carriage because I was fleeing in a hurry, so this is all I have.”
Since they were skilled experts who were capable enough to take care of themselves, they handed it over without complaint.
“This is enough. I’ll contact you when I feel safe. Take care.”
“Yes.”
Il-gwang and the Black Shadow Unit scattered quickly. They were heading in different directions, but their destination was the same. It was intended to divert Baek Ryeo-il’s attention as they moved.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon stood quietly for a long time, alone.
And.
“Agh!”
As soon as he was sure they were completely gone, he tore at his hair.
“Damn life! Nothing ever works out!”
He tore off the clothes he was wearing.
“Anyway!”
Flap.
“You’re no help, no help at all!”
Flap, flap.
Expensive, high-quality silk clothes were scattered on the dirt floor. He took off everything except his white underwear. He also undid his neatly styled hair.
Rustle.
His long hair cascaded down.
It didn’t end there. Seong Mu-yeon huffed and rolled around on the ground.
“Why did it have to be Baek Ryeo-il!”
Seong Mu-yeon, who had been rolling around like a whining child, suddenly stopped. Then, he stood up with a nonchalant face.
“Hoo.”
When all that was done, Seong Mu-yeon looked like a perfect beggar to anyone who saw him. His white underwear was covered in dirt and grass, turning brown, and his hair was sticking out in all directions.
He had learned something from this trip. A young master with no power to protect himself wandering alone without a guard was tantamount to suicide.
He had to save as much money as possible for his escape. From now on, staying at inns or riding in carriages was a luxury.
He carefully put the jewelry in his sleeve. And finally, he buried the conspicuous silk clothes in the ground. He took the hair ornaments with him, as they could be sold for money.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
This way, even Baek Ryeo-il won’t be able to find me.
His steps toward the village were light.
Baek Ryeo-il ran through the forest.
‘It should be around here.’
Despite the tremendous speed, he followed the subtle traces that quickly passed by with his eyes.
Crack.
Baek Ryeo-il gritted his teeth.
‘How dare you… play with people?’
The pale Young master floated in his mind.
People usually have a certain tendency depending on their disposition. A sly bastard reeks of rot in his attitude, and a person with integrity never says what he doesn’t mean.
But that bastard was a type of human Baek Ryeo-il had never experienced before.
‘He has a knack for bewitching people with his feeble smile.’
Seong Mu-yeon.
The Seventh Young master of the Demonic Cult.
It was by chance that he first discovered him in Sichuan.
Baek Ryeo-il sometimes enjoyed straying from Mount Junzi under the pretext of traveling the world, escaping his master’s eyes. It was just a coincidence that his destination this time was Sichuan.
He drank alcohol, ate greasy food, and sometimes beat up bad guys who caught his eye. That was Baek Ryeo-il’s journey through the world.
But that day was different.
He was sprawled out at a roadside tavern as usual, pouring down cheap liquor. Fine alcohol was good, but sometimes he craved cheap liquor that stung his throat.
Then, a commotion broke out in the marketplace.
Baek Ryeo-il quickly realized that it wasn’t something he should get involved in, but the pale man at the center of the commotion strangely drew his attention.
‘Looking back now, I instinctively knew that bastard was suspicious.’
Without realizing it, he tilted his bottle and followed him. But the man only gave him the impression that he was an ignorant young master from some family who had come to see the market.
But… as the sun began to set and the crowds thinned, he sensed the presence of the Black Shadow Unit. The shadow warriors in black clothes all reeked of the Demonic Cult.
The bastards were so focused on their mission that they didn’t even realize Baek Ryeo-il had sensed their presence. Their eyes were all focused on that handsome young master.
When he faced the back alley thugs, his body was about to twitch and jump out without him realizing it, and he almost got caught by the Black Shadow Unit. It was an unlike mistake for him.
He followed them to confirm their identity. The cruel handiwork and the secrecy of unknown origin were definitely the Demonic Cult.
People tend to have certain tendencies, and Baek Ryeo-il thought he was good at sensing those subtle clues.
But it wasn’t easy to define what kind of person Seong Mu-yeon was. He was just confused even after watching him for days.
Because of that, Baek Ryeo-il’s concentration was disturbed.
‘Mount Junzi… It took me two days to detoxify it. Damn it.’
Even that wasn’t a complete detoxification.
He wasn’t one to fall for such tricks. Since it was a colorless and odorless poison, he wouldn’t be able to sense the poison itself, but he would have judged it by the other person’s attitude. Bad guys do bad things. He just shouldn’t eat anything given by a bad guy carelessly.
But Seong Mu-yeon was different.
Sometimes he was like an ignorant young master who would generously give silver coins to street performers, and other times he showed the Demonic Cult’s unique cruel nature, not even batting an eye when people died in front of him.
But he didn’t turn a blind eye to people in danger. For the most part, his polite and compassionate attitude was a distinctly different path from the demonic cultists he had seen all along.
And there was one more thing that bothered Baek Ryeo-il the most.
‘…He could have killed me.’
That bastard didn’t do that. Why? Was he really planning to recuperate?
Whatever it was…
‘I won’t let him get away.’