By Zephyria 
Early in the morning, Ak Mujin was woken by a chaotic atmosphere. He opened the door to his inner chamber, his face still heavy with sleep, and glanced around the corridor. At first, all seemed quiet, but then the sound of footsteps echoed from the other side of the building, and he could faintly hear the scattered, urgent voices of people. He hadn’t heard any particular news until dawn, yet the inside of the Sandow Union seemed quite busy.
Had the Demon Cult attacked?
The moment the thought occurred to him, Ak Mujin, without a second thought, hastily snatched his sword and rushed out of his chamber, running toward Jin Geum-ryeon’s bedchamber. But even as he stood before the door, he couldn’t sense the slightest presence, as if no one was inside. Ak Mujin instinctively felt that something was terribly wrong and threw the door open. Sure enough, Jin Geum-ryeon was nowhere to be seen.
As he rushed out of the room, he saw a servant emerging from an adjacent room with laundry. He quickly grabbed him and asked.
“Where is Lord Jin?”
“Uh… I’m not sure either… He went in a little while ago and came right back out. He wasn’t there for long.”
As the dazed-looking servant mumbled, Ak Mujin started moving again without even waiting for the full answer. He headed for the main building where the grand hall was, intending to find Jin Geum-ryeon immediately, all the while scanning his surroundings. Fortunately, or perhaps not, there were no signs of an attack. There didn’t seem to be any casualties, either.
Ak Mujin relaxed a little, but he couldn’t let his guard down completely until he saw Jin Geum-ryeon. He was just about to cross the covered walkway leading to the main building when Martial Artists of the Sandow Union suddenly blocked his path.
“……!”
“Stop.”
“I need to see the Lord,” Ak Mujin said, frowning.
The Martial Artist replied stiffly, “Please go back. The Lord ordered us to keep you safe.”
“What’s going on? Where did the Lord go?”
“We cannot say anything right now. However, it is safe here, so please return to your bedchamber. If you do not, we will be reprimanded.”
Hearing the Martial Artist repeatedly emphasize the word ‘safe,’ Ak Mujin was suddenly reminded of what Jin Geum-ryeon had said the previous night—that he wanted him to be as safe as possible. He had thought it was just a passing remark made out of renewed concern after seeing a Demon Cult, but it seemed there was more to it.
Ak Mujin was growing irritated with the Martial Artists who kept insisting on protecting him. He knew full well how Jin Geum-ryeon thought of him, but he had already proven he could take care of himself by executing the Vice-Leader right in front of him. In other words, he wasn’t so weak that Jin Geum-ryeon needed to be this anxious. But in the eyes of the world’s strongest man, he must still look like a candle in the wind.
“Who’s protecting whom?”
With no time to waste on such a squabble in this urgent situation, Ak Mujin finally gripped the sword at his waist. With a cold voice, the scabbard swung in an instant, striking twice with precision at the Martial Artists’ acupoints. The two men who had been blocking him crumpled to the ground.
“Ugh…!”
“L-Lord…!”
As Ak Mujin’s feet began to step over their bodies, one of them desperately cried out to him.
“Lord! Come back! The Lord isn’t in the main building even if you go there!”
Ak Mujin, who had been about to use his Agility Technique and fly off, slowly came to a halt. He spun around and returned to the Martial Artist, who looked up at Ak Mujin, his body frozen, his eyes wide.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he revealed Jin Geum-ryeon’s whereabouts.
“The Lord… had an important matter to attend to. He entrusted you to us and went to the headquarters. So…”
“…Headquarters, you say.”
Headquarters. The Martial Artist’s words that followed the term no longer registered. Ak Mujin’s mind began to race. What reason would Jin Geum-ryeon have to return to the headquarters at a time like this? Moreover, the man who had said he wanted to host Ak Mujin at the Sandow Union headquarters had gone there without even telling him. Didn’t that lead to an obvious conclusion?
A chill ran down his spine, and the hair on his head stood on end.
“Heavenly Mountain.”
The words escaped his lips unconsciously. Ak Mujin grew anxious, fearing that Jin Geum-ryeon had gathered his subordinates to strike the Demon Cult. Ignoring the Martial Artists’ pleas, he channeled energy into the tips of his toes, unleashed his light body skill, and swiftly left the area.
As he hurried his steps to chase after Jin Geum-ryeon, he thought it was a bit strange that Jin Geum-ryeon, who had been so calm just last night, would suddenly head for the headquarters. Then, a sudden thought made him change direction. His feet were now headed for none other than the separate annex where Chun-wol was staying.
By the time he reached his residence, sure enough, Chun-wol had also sensed that something was amiss and had come out of his room to survey the surroundings.
“Chun-wol!”
“Ah, Lord!”
As Ak Mujin strode toward him, Chun-wol greeted him warmly while glancing around.
“Did something happen at the Sandow Union? Why is it so busy since this morning?”
Chun-wol’s face was filled with anxiety as he spoke. With no time to waste, Ak Mujin began to ask about what had come to mind.
“Yesterday, did you happen to speak with Lord Jin while I was away?”
“……!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Chun-wol’s eyes blinked as if he had come to a great realization. Ak Mujin grabbed his shoulders and asked again.
“What did you talk about?”
“That is…”
As Ak Mujin stared at him intently, Chun-wol finally began to recount what had happened the previous night.
“My apologies for the late hour.”
“Not at all. Please, come in.”
Chun-wol stepped back, welcoming the man who had come to see him. It was so late that even with a candle lit, the inner chamber was still dark. At such an hour, for a woman to meet a man alone, and a Yin person to meet a Yang person at that, was not looked upon favorably by societal norms. But Jin Geum-ryeon, who had left his room after declining dinner with Ak Mujin, had something he absolutely had to confirm through Chun-wol.
Having grown accustomed to his stay at the Sandow Union over the past few days, Chun-wol naturally guided him to a seat and poured him tea.
“You said you had something to ask.”
After setting down the teapot, Chun-wol sat down, and Jin Geum-ryeon faced him with a slightly tense expression.
“Please, tell me honestly.”
As Jin Geum-ryeon began, Chun-wol looked at him as if to say he was listening.
“Back when Lord Ahn was taken to the Demon Cult… did the Cult Leader truly order ‘only’ a marriage to Joo Mu-jeong? Or…”
At his question, Chun-wol’s expression did not change, but he couldn’t hide the darkening of his complexion. Without even hearing an answer, Jin Geum-ryeon could guess enough from that, and he couldn’t continue speaking.
“……”
“……”
The two were silent for a moment. It was Jin Geum-ryeon who spoke first.
“Did that bastard… truly intend to use Lord Ahn as the Demon Cult’s… Yin person?”
When he asked again for confirmation, Chun-wol swallowed dryly and took a sip of tea. Only then did he nod. A sigh escaped Jin Geum-ryeon. Beneath the table, his fists trembled.
“When you came to ask me for news of Lord Ahn, Lord Jin… I couldn’t bring myself to speak of the deceased and say things that might dishonor him. I thought it was an unnecessary thing to say, seeing as he had passed. But…”
Chun-wol’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Now that the Cult Leader knows Lord Ahn is alive, I don’t know what he will do.”
The moment those words were spoken, Jin Geum-ryeon shot up from his seat. His eyes seemed to be engulfed in flames, blazing. At the same time, Chun-wol awkwardly rose from his seat, but Jin Geum-ryeon had already stormed out of the inner chamber.
“Then Lord Jin must have… gone straight to Heavenly Mountain. News must have been sent to the other branches, which is why this Sandow Union branch is so busy.”
Chun-wol muttered, putting the pieces together after recounting the events of the previous night. Hearing the full story from him, a cold sweat ran down Ak Mujin’s back. It seemed Jin Geum-ryeon couldn’t just ignore what Joo Mu-jeong had said. He had never imagined that he would try to confirm it with Chun-wol, and his head began to throb.
“I must follow Jin Geum-ryeon at once.”
“What? Lord Jin might be one thing, but you are in danger, Lord Ahn! Isn’t all of Heavenly Mountain after you?”
“I was foolish. The fact that I’ve been lying low with that in mind has been the root of the problem. I’m strong enough to protect myself, so don’t worry too much.”
From Ak Mujin’s unhesitating voice, Chun-wol knew he wasn’t just making empty boasts, but as someone who had already lost him once, he couldn’t completely erase his concern.
“You stay here and relay any news. And don’t forget the favor I asked of you.”
Nevertheless, the look on Ak Mujin’s face as he gazed at him was so full of determination and confidence that Chun-wol had no choice but to trust him and let him go. He nodded and saw him off.