By Zephyria A Match (1)
That incident brought about a change in Seong Mu-yeon’s body.
His eyesight slowly recovered, but Seong Mu-yeon felt a strong sense of crisis unlike before. It wasn’t the familiar pattern of being bad one day and then getting better again, as it had always been.
He could tell because it was his own body.
An intuition that he wouldn’t be able to get through it so smoothly next time.
He had lived close to death his whole life, but he didn’t experience such premonitions often. He could feel death approaching within arm’s reach if he just turned his head.
It felt like something enormous was approaching, beyond what Baek Ryeo-il could do anything about.
So, Seong Mu-yeon decided to be even more careful in the future. Therefore, he put aside even minor tasks that helped the Finance Division for the time being. It wasn’t like anything would happen right away just because he did some abacus work, but it was a decision made with the thought that he should conserve his strength as much as possible without overdoing it.
Of course, he didn’t tell anyone, including Baek Ryeo-il, about this thought.
Even without that, Mount Hua was quite busy right now. They were going through a busy period, cooperating with Shaolin to investigate the incident that Ma Jin-cheon had experienced, allocating manpower to catch the Poison Fiend, and keeping an eye on the movements of the Demonic Cult. Adding his own problem, for which there was no real solution, would only add to their worries.
Seong Mu-yeon waited quietly for the right moment. The right time to face Yak Seon again. Until then, he would prioritize safety and preserve his body.
That was all.
The moment Seong Mu-yeon turned around with the teacup and boiled water, he met eyes with Seomun Yuha, who was already standing behind him.
“Seomun… Young master?”
Seomun Yuha smiled, his eyes crinkling, and opened his mouth.
“Didn’t you miss me, Young master?”
“…Pardon?”
Seomun Yuha took a big step closer. He was slender, but slightly taller than Seong Mu-yeon, so he had to look up.
“I missed you.”
“Why would you…”
In that instant, he remembered that Seomun Yuha was a Flowering Bone. He had already almost succumbed to the allure, a characteristic of the Flowering Bone clan, once before.
“I’m disappointed. Ever since Young master saved me, I’ve been thinking about Young master every day, but Young master didn’t think of me at all?”
“The one who saved you wasn’t me, but Master Baek…”
Seomun Yuha didn’t care at all about Seong Mu-yeon’s sullen expression and took another step closer.
“I decided after that… to become a martial artist who can stand side by side with Young master with dignity. Thanks to that, I’ve been able to endure this difficult water lily fragrance.”
Seomun Yuha took the tray and subtly moved it aside. Even so, his eyes were fixed straight on Seong Mu-yeon.
“Young master also believes I can do it, right?”
“W-Well, yes. But aren’t you getting too close…”
“What are you doing.”
Baek Ryeo-il was already leaning against the kitchen door. Baek Ryeo-il strode over and wedged his huge body between him and Seong Mu-yeon. Seomun Yuha waved his hand.
“Oh my, what do you think I’m doing? Are you suspecting me again? I’m really upset. I don’t do that anymore, you know?”
He picked up the tray he had put aside as if nothing had happened and continued.
“Actually, I swore to the Sect leader when I entered. Not to use my power within Mount Hua. If I break it, I’ll be kicked out. Why would I do something like that?”
Seomun Yuha retorted sullenly and left the spot.
“…Is that true?”
Baek Ryeo-il muttered. Seong Mu-yeon was reluctant, but nodded.
“It seems so for now. The feeling was different just now than when he was at the Seomun Clan.”
If Baek Ryeo-il hadn’t intervened then, Seong Mu-yeon would have succumbed to his allure without even resisting. Once caught in that ability, he remembered feeling a strange sense of happiness, with his mind hazy and half-walking on clouds.
“The Sect leader is really thorough.”
He seemed to be well aware of the danger of the Flowering Bone clan and had prepared for it. Of course, if Seomun Yuha had bad intentions, he could cause great harm to the Mount Hua Disciples, but it seemed they had decided to trust him for now.
“Still, be careful. That guy doesn’t seem to be in his right mind.”
Seong Mu-yeon vehemently agreed with that part, so he nodded.
Seomun Yuha left after teasing Gang Woong to his heart’s content until it was almost time for water lily fragrance. Thanks to that, Gang Woong’s face was completely red and he was trembling.
‘What are you doing, old man, messing with a kid.’
Seomun Yuha was over twenty, and Gang Woong was only about thirteen or fourteen. Furthermore, Seomun Yuha was good with words and had a bad personality, so the young boy had no way to win with words.
“That guy… what kind of person is that!”
After being frustrated for a long time, Gang Woong barely managed to say this. Seong Mu-yeon felt sorry for the innocent boy who didn’t even know how to swear. Baek Ryeo-il didn’t care whether his Junior Brother was hurt or not, so Seong Mu-yeon had to comfort him again.
“He’s the only son of the Seomun Clan, and he was raised being spoiled, so he’s immature. Please understand, Gang Junior Brother, who has a broad mind. Even though he’s younger, you’re much more mature, aren’t you?”
“I can’t tolerate it… Even though he’s an Outer Sect Disciple and not an Elite Disciples, a Mount Hua Disciple shouldn’t show such rude behavior!”
“Of course, of course. Gang Junior Brother is right. How can he become a great person like that! Tsk, tsk…”
Like a child, Gang Woong quickly felt better after nodding a few times and being praised, and wiped away his tears. After comforting him well and sending him off to study, this time Baek Ryeo-il was exuding an eerie aura.
‘Seriously, this household can’t function without me.’
“What’s wrong, Senior Brother?”
“…There’s no news.”
“Are you talking about the Poison Fiend?”
Baek Ryeo-il nodded. He had easily predicted that it would be difficult to find him alone, but even though Mount Hua had stepped in, the Poison Fiend’s whereabouts were still unknown. It was as if he had disappeared into the ground or flown into the sky, a truly ghostly matter.
‘If it were Il-gwang, he would have found him quickly.’
His existence was slightly missed, but when he thought about how he had ruined things at every turn, his heart sank coldly.
Baek Ryeo-il jumped up.
“I think I need to ask Master again. There might be more clues that I missed.”
Ma Jin-cheon was one of the first people to face the Poison Fiend. The Paeng brothers might know more, but unfortunately, they were not people who could be easily met.
Baek Ryeo-il headed towards Ma Jin-cheon’s residence, Cloud Forest Hall, with heavy steps. Recently, a strange discomfort had been nagging at a corner of his heart. Whenever he was about to remember the cause, Seong Mu-yeon would suddenly pop up, and he would miss it every time. This instinct had hardly ever been wrong.
He felt like he would remember if he saw Ma Jin-cheon.
Just as Baek Ryeo-il stepped inside the Cloud Forest Hall fence, he realized that Ma Jin-cheon was not alone, as he felt several presences inside.
‘Junior Uncle Heo?’
In addition to Heo Saeng, the first generation Disciples who had accompanied him to Henan were also there.
‘Come to think of it, it’s strange. Since when have the Junior Uncles taken such good care of Master?’
Ma Jin-cheon had gone through a near-death crisis, but was that enough for those who had always despised him to suddenly turn around?
Baek Ryeo-il hardened his face and went inside.
“Senior Brother Ma, you’ll forgive us, right?”
“I told you, there’s nothing to forgive or not. Why are you doing this? I said I’m fine.”
“We’re uncomfortable. What’s so difficult about saying one word, Senior Brother?”
“Yes, please. Otherwise, it feels like Senior Brother was hurt because of us, doesn’t it?”
The sight of the Senior and Junior Brothers bickering seemed informal and like they were close. But Baek Ryeo-il didn’t see it that way at all. His lips twisted and a low voice flowed out.
“…Hurt because of whom?”
Heo Saeng and the Junior Brothers gasped.
“Bae, Baek Ryeo-il…”
“Ryeo-il.”
Ma Jin-cheon called his name like a sigh. But Baek Ryeo-il didn’t listen. Each step, each step heavily pressing down on the ground, brought him closer.
“Tell me. Who did Master get hurt because of?”
…….
The Junior Brothers’ faces turned white.
“Young master! Something terrible has happened!”
When Baek Ryeo-il didn’t return, Seong Mu-yeon sent Gang Woong to find him. But the boy came running back in a panic. Baek Ryeo-il was not with him.
“Master… Master has been dragged to the Disciplinary Hall!”
“Pardon?”
The Disciplinary Hall was the place in Mount Hua in charge of punishment.
Following Gang Woong’s guidance, they went to the Disciplinary Hall, and people who had already heard the rumors were crowding around it. Seong Mu-yeon, who was digging through the gaps with Gang Woong, found Wang Ho-jun and approached him.
“Junior Brother Wang! What’s going on? Did Senior Brother Baek do something wrong?”
“I thought he was going to be quiet for a while, but it’s starting again.”
Wang Ho-jun clicked his tongue.
‘Again?’
At that moment, a fierce shout spread from beyond the crowd.
“Baek Ryeo-il, you villain! Do you know what crime you have committed!”
Seong Mu-yeon somehow managed to move forward and secure a view. In the center were Sang-geol, who was in charge of discipline, Baek Ryeo-il kneeling, several second-generation Disciples who had collapsed in rags, and even Ma Jin-cheon. It seemed that quite a few people were involved.
“Yes, I know.”
Baek Ryeo-il was kneeling, but he answered sullenly in a tone that showed no remorse at all.
“Then tell me in detail with your own mouth!”