ch 9

 

Chapter 9

Munpyeong languidly tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.

With every breath, the ceiling seemed to draw closer, then recede. It swayed, as if he were riding a wave. His body rocked up and down in a steady rhythm. In his dazed, unfocused eyes, pale specks of dust were visible, glittering silver-white in the sunlight streaming through the window.

The dust motes were dancing. Down, then up, following the currents of the air. Or perhaps spinning in circles around one another. They performed a corps de ballet that only they could understand, much like the language of the flesh that only Munpyeong and the man lying beneath him could comprehend.

“Ha…”

Munpyeong canted his head down to look at the man’s body. Though he had been with the man countless times, this was the first time he had ever taken a position on top. No matter the place or the act, the man was always on top, and he was always on the bottom.

Was that why? Looking down at his partner, so unlike their usual dynamic, felt truly strange. It was as if he were dominating this strong, overwhelming man.

For the first time, Munpyeong could leisurely appreciate the man’s expression, something he was usually too overwhelmed to ever properly see.

The elegant eyebrows, as if drawn with the utmost care by a master calligrapher, were arched in arrogance. The hard, intense eyes were fixed on Munpyeong, as if glaring. The perfectly sculpted, luscious lips were twisted firm. A face full of discontent. And yet, he was feeling pleasure. A one-sided pleasure that Munpyeong himself was forcing upon him.

Munpyeong realized that every emotion flickering across the man’s face originated from him. His discomfort, his anger… and yet, the undeniable pleasure he couldn't hide—all of it was because of Munpyeong. The man was clearly feeling it, but he wasn’t enjoying the sensation. That, too, was just like Munpyeong’s usual self. He had always writhed in the pleasure the man gave him, but he had never once willingly rejoiced in it.

Simply by changing their positions, everything had been reversed. The one who was always dominated was now dominating, and the one who always forced himself on another was now being forced.

Munpyeong was so delighted by this fact that a seductive smile graced his lips. A sultry charm, one you would never expect to find hidden within this ordinary-looking man, bloomed across Munpyeong's entire being.

Clenching harder around the man’s sex inside him, Munpyeong lowered his waist. Then, he began to toy with the bud of the man's nipple with his lips. It was the only soft part of his hard, trained chest, and it was so small and cute, almost as if it didn't belong on his body, that it was perfect for playing with.

He teased it with his tongue, scraped it with the tips of his teeth, then licked it until it grew hard. All the while, he kept his hips moving in a slow, circular motion, ensuring the man's pleasure never faltered.

By moving his hips at a pace he could control, Munpyeong found that he, too, could enjoy their coupling. He felt a deep satisfaction in the pleasure that spread through him like slow ripples on water.

This was what Munpyeong had always wanted. A pace he could keep up with on his own two feet. Anything more than this had always been too much for him.

“…You should have tried this once in a while.”

A low, hoarse voice muttered in dissatisfaction. A strong hand grasped his chin, lifting his face. Munpyeong willingly licked the fingers that entered his mouth. As he wrapped his tongue around the well-shaped thumb and sucked until it made a soft noise, the man let out a short laugh and kissed the tip of his chin.

“Acting all cute now, are we? You’re usually as stiff as a wooden plank.”

Munpyeong felt a little hurt. His mind was hazy, so he didn’t know exactly what the man was talking about, but he didn’t like the way he said it.

He placed his hands on the man’s chest and straightened his back again. The man, who had been about to reach for the back of his head, chuckled and lowered his hand. Munpyeong placed his own hands over the man’s on his chest and interlaced their fingers.

Putting his weight into it, he began to lower his body. The man’s organ, which had been barely inside, slid deeper with a twitch. The hardest, roundest part of it pushed against the delicate membrane. His soft inner walls parted tautly as the hard thing pushed its way in.

He relaxed his hips and took the man’s body in deeper. The opening between his buttocks stretched as if it would tear, swallowing the man to his limit. His member was already immense and always went deep, but with Munpyeong’s own weight pressing down on it, it plunged in so far it was frightening.

Munpyeong gasped at the shock but continued to lower himself. The impact, which felt like it was piercing the very center of his body, brought both a primal fear and an intense pleasure.

“Ah. Aht. Ahh…”

As Munpyeong convulsed and panted for breath, the man laughed lowly.

“Told you. Can’t take it all in this position.”

The man muttered to himself, then grabbed Munpyeong’s waist and pulled. In an instant, their positions had reversed again. The man was on top, and Munpyeong was beneath him. Lifting Munpyeong’s legs onto his shoulders, the man greedily thrust in the last remaining part of himself. As Munpyeong’s lips parted in a gasp he couldn't contain, the man greedily devoured them.

His tongue was being devoured, as if he were being eaten alive. Even as his body felt like it was splitting in two, a thrill shot through him. Munpyeong already knew what this thing, which had pushed its way inside as if to burst his organs, could bring him. His heart pounded in anticipation of all that was to come.

“Why are you being so proactive all of a sudden?” the man asked, beginning to thrust as Munpyeong, trembling in anticipation, lifted his hips. Taking the man deep inside him, Munpyeong gasped for breath, trying to match his own breathing to the man’s rhythm.

“Tell me. Hm? Why is it? Is it the aphrodisiac? Or is it the man who’s taking you?”

The man thrust so deep that Munpyeong’s body was lifted with the motion, then he gathered his breath and plunged down hard again.

Thwack. Thwack. The sound of their flesh colliding was loud, like powerful punches. It was a good thing the sound was wet with moisture; otherwise, he might have thought he was actually being beaten.

Every time the man’s large, hard testicles slapped against his tailbone, Munpyeong let out a pathetic, writhing whimper.

“Ah… save me…”

“Tell me. Who am I? Who are you sleeping with right now?”

“Ugh. Aahk. Ah!”

“Who is taking you? Who is pleasing you like this right now?”

“Yu, ooh-eun…”

“…What was that?”

“Yu-euh… nngh, …s… hng, ahht.”

Munpyeong couldn’t bring himself to answer the man’s persistent question again. Before he could even form the sounds into a word, the man’s body crashed into him like a violent storm. Harsher than before. No. It was the most savage he had been since they’d begun. The man drove into him with such force that Munpyeong was pushed back until his head hit the headboard of the bed.

“Yun Seung-hyo?! That’s me?”

“Ack! Aack! It hurts. Stop…”

“Say it again. Who am I? Who do you think I am?”

Who do you think I am, Seok Munpyeong? Tell me. The man repeated the same question with maddening persistence. But Munpyeong was in too much pain to answer, only able to shake his head. Misunderstanding his gesture, the man grew even fiercer, growling in anger.

“You’re mistaken, Seok Munpyeong. Just because we’re not in the Cult’s headquarters doesn’t mean our relationship has disappeared.”

The man grabbed Munpyeong’s chin, which had fallen to the side, and forced it to face him. Munpyeong looked up at the man through a blurry, tear-filled gaze, his vision out of focus.

The man’s form was indistinct, as if seen through water. A distorted, blurred shadow, and within that shadow, only the man’s intensely glittering eyes were visible.

“I told you, didn’t I? Every blade of grass in my garden, even a single weed, is my property. Whether I pull it out or water it is entirely my decision, not something you have any say in. Did you not understand when I told you nicely? Is that why you decided to take a little trip to the Central Plains?”

The man’s face drew closer through the film of tears. The black shadow grew larger. Their noses touched. The man laughed brutally as he slammed his body into Munpyeong. He knew Munpyeong was crying from the pain, yet he did it on purpose. He seemed to genuinely enjoy it.

“Fine. If you want to run, then run. I’ll let you enjoy it to your heart’s content. But when you wake from the dream, you’ll be the one crying. The sweeter the dream, the more painful the awakening.”

The man whispered cruelly. Even in his half-conscious state, Munpyeong knew it was a warning. But that was all he could comprehend. His mind was still muddled, his soul half-lost in a dream.

Munpyeong’s consciousness couldn’t even properly distinguish whether this was a dream or reality. The faint flicker of awareness that had almost surfaced was dragged back under by the man’s relentless assault.

Everything grew blurry, then gradually darker. Like diving deep into water, everything receded. The man’s organ ravaging his body, the voice repeating cruel vows—it all disappeared, and a peaceful void took its place.

A world more perfect for its absolute nothingness, a soft and gentle void he needed more than anything.

Believing this empty darkness to be more comfortable, Munpyeong finally lost consciousness.

He’d had a bizarre dream.

Munpyeong scratched the back of his neck, feeling unsettled. He couldn’t remember the exact details, but it was clearly an erotic dream. Thankfully, it hadn't gone as far as a wet dream, but he'd become noticeably erect, and it took some effort to make it subside.

A man well past thirty, having a sudden erotic dream? And not during a full night’s sleep, but in a short nap of just an hour or two.

`How am I supposed to interpret this? Should I be glad I’m not so tense anymore?`

Munpyeong gave a bitter smile and rose from the bed.

His body felt stiff, so he stretched and checked his condition. It wasn't bad. Aside from a slight languor in his lower body from the dream, his muscles weren't sore, and nothing felt out of place.

Satisfied, he reached for the shirt he’d taken off when he heard a low clearing of a throat from outside the door. Munpyeong quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves and called out.

“You may come in, Seung-hyo.”

Munpyeong opened the door for Yun Seung-hyo before he could. Seeing that he wasn't fully dressed yet, Yun Seung-hyo let out a low laugh. Feeling embarrassed for being so slovenly, Munpyeong flushed and quickly straightened his clothes.

“I came over to see if you’d like to have a meal together, now that you’re awake. You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”

Yun Seung-hyo said lightly as he entered the room. He, too, must have just woken from a nap, as his attire was simpler than usual. He wasn’t wearing the tinted spectacles he always wore to hide his eyes, nor did he have his fan. He wasn’t even wearing a scholar’s cap, so his long, black hair was fully revealed.

With his black hair cascading down, Yun Seung-hyo looked boyish. Perhaps because of his Western blood, his unusually pale skin was flawless and clear like jade, and against that white skin, only his lips were red, like a painting of vermilion lips and white teeth.

Munpyeong had met many beautiful people lately, both men and women, but none of them could dare compare to Yun Seung-hyo. Of course, Po Yeong-ui was more seductive, and Cheonma was so beautiful it was almost inhuman, but in terms of pure personal preference rather than a hierarchy of beauty, neither of them could hold a candle to Yun Seung-hyo.

“I was just getting hungry. This is perfect. Please, sit here.”

Munpyeong guided Yun Seung-hyo to the table. He then called for the innkeeper’s boy and ordered a simple dinner and fresh tea. Yun Seung-hyo stared blankly out the window, habitually toying with his hair. Lost in thought, his pale, jade-colored eyes seemed to soften and glow.

“As I mentioned this morning, we’ll infiltrate the So Manor tonight at the hour of the Rat,” Yun Seung-hyo said, picking out bamboo shoots from the sour bamboo shoot chicken they had ordered for dinner. Munpyeong also focused on the chicken. The pickled vegetable side dish was too sour for his northern palate.

“Are you sure it’s all right? We still haven’t identified the person who sent me the Black Flower.”

Munpyeong said to Yun Seung-hyo, his tone worried. Yesterday’s incident still bothered him. Someone had left the Demonic Cult’s black flower symbol where he could see it, meaning he was the clear target.

But the man he thought had drawn it knew nothing. He’d simply had a meeting there that fell through and had left after waiting. He claimed he’d done nothing.

The man didn’t even remember playing with his chopsticks. It was apparently a habit, and he never imagined it could cause such a problem.

He was the kind of man who screamed his head off at a mere broken bone. Judging that the man lacked the fortitude to keep a secret under torture, Munpyeong was left in a quandary. If he wasn't the culprit, then the real one was still out there.

But Munpyeong had no idea who it could be. He had been so engrossed in his conversation with Yun Seung-hyo that he had neglected to keep his guard up. He couldn't even properly remember who else had been around them at the time.

`It hasn’t even been that long since the Dream of Ten Nights incident, and here I go again. Munpyeong, oh Munpyeong. You’re really going to die from an ambush one of these days.`

Seok Munpyeong lamented silently. But Yun Seung-hyo was strangely unconcerned by the matter.

“Your theory that it must be either coincidence or fate isn't wrong, Munpyeong, but sometimes there are unexpected answers,” Yun Seung-hyo had said with a calm smile, reassuring the worried Munpyeong. He sometimes spoke in riddles.

“Didn’t you say before that the organization you belong to could never join hands with this clandestine group? The states of Wu and Yue in the same boat. Your superiors know well that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so I doubt anything will happen for the time being.”

Hearing Yun Seung-hyo’s words, it seemed he had more faith in Munpyeong’s ‘superiors’ than Munpyeong himself did. Yun Seung-hyo lowered his gaze and continued speaking as he deboned a piece of chicken with his chopsticks.

“And if it’s not today, we won’t have another chance. Tonight, or at the latest by dawn today, the So Manor will destroy the evidence and leave.”

“What? What do you mean?” Munpyeong asked, taken aback by Yun Seung-hyo's near-certain declaration.

“I walked around Kaiyang without a disguise, didn’t I? I even spent several hours at a teahouse directly across from the So Manor. If they have eyes watching the outside, they must have seen me. I’ve disturbed the grass, so the snake will appear. I intend to follow it.”

“To speak like that, you must have found a clue linking them to the group.”

“Indeed.”

They had been together the whole time, yet Munpyeong hadn’t found a single clue. Seeing his curiosity, Yun Seung-hyo patiently explained. At times like this, Yun Seung-hyo was just like Imhak. He never looked down on you for not knowing something and would calmly teach you.

If it had been Cheonma, he would have retorted with something like, ‘Why does someone like you need to know?’ or just sneered. That man was so magnificent in his own mind that he treated everyone else like a rock.

“As I wandered the market, I picked up a word here and there, and a plausible picture began to form. The So Manor was established in Kaiyang a little less than two years ago. They started an orphanage then, and from what I can gather, quite a few children were taken in. The lord of the manor had earned a good reputation in Kaiyang, so it seems no one was suspicious. But recently, children began to disappear from the manor. To be precise, it started about six months ago. They didn’t vanish all at once, but one by one, with excuses like they were introduced to a job or adopted by a family, so it seems the neighbors didn't notice.”

“And?”

Selling children off as servants or, in worse cases, sending them to brothels under the pretense of finding them work was something other orphanages did too, not just So Manor. It was a wicked act, but it didn't seem like something the clandestine organization would do. He didn't understand why Yun Seung-hyo was pointing it out.

“But the interesting thing is, there’s no trace of the children who disappeared. They vanished completely. No one saw them leave, and no one has met them since, not even by chance. For it to happen not just to one or two, but to dozens of children, is hard to understand. And you already know they didn’t end up in brothels, from what Seo-ga said at the gambling den yesterday. The children just vanished, Munpyeong. As if they evaporated into thin air.”

Cheonma had a few more pieces of information. The carriage carrying the children always left in the middle of the night, and the person in charge of the task was always the same. They supposedly traveled quite far, yet they carried very little food with them. Sometimes they even brought the food back.

`The So Manor is just a front. It’s a lower-level cell for gathering and supplying the children, and a liaison to the outside world, but it’s not the real entity. But it is connected to the real entity. The base is located within a few days’ travel.`

To be honest, Cheonma had no desire to take Munpyeong to the So Manor. Wasn't it like a general taking his young concubine to the battlefield? He wasn't Emperor Yang of Sui, who supposedly took his harem on a tour of the Grand Canal during a war. It wasn't a good look, and he had no desire to show him such things.

But he couldn't just leave him behind either. There was nowhere he could safely entrust this troublesome creature. From the looks of it, he had been forcibly driven out of the Cult—and Cheonma had a few words for Po Yeong-ui about that—and with those damned Tang Clan bastards roaming around Guizhou, it was difficult to leave him alone. He briefly considered the Haomun, but the thought of Yun Seung-hyo's smarmy face made even that unappealing.

“…Let me say this one more time, Munpyeong. Tonight, you must follow right behind me, and you must not draw your weapon without my permission. You must follow my lead completely for us to resolve this, so please trust me.”

Cheonma said, mimicking Yun Seung-hyo as he looked at the precarious Munpyeong, who seemed like a child let loose near water.

If he were in his true form, he would have ended it with something like, ‘It’s a pain to look after you separately, so just stay on my back.’ But in the guise of a virtuous gentleman, his words became unnecessarily long and their meaning muddled. And yet, for some reason, the naive fool was smiling and nodding. He probably didn't understand the true meaning behind the words.

Seeing a natural smile and a blush appear on the face that was usually as stiff as a wooden plank, Cheonma snorted again. …Maybe it was the spicy chicken, but his stomach felt sour. It even felt a little achy.

Though it was clearly a psychological phenomenon, not a physical one, Cheonma stubbornly blamed it all on the chicken.

It was a night with a particularly bewitching crescent moon, thin as a beauty’s eyebrow.

Munpyeong glanced up at the moon for a moment before pulling the mask that had been under his chin up over his nose and looking straight ahead. A manor of no great size came into view.

So Manor.

The name, written in a refined and unpretentious script, stood out neatly on the plaque.

Like the plaque, the manor itself was quite tastefully arranged. The minimal use of lavish decorations gave it a neat appearance, and every corner showed signs of care, giving it a look of sincerity.

From the outside, the rumor that a retired scholar was living here, passing his days with charity work, seemed to be true. But Munpyeong trusted Yun Seung-hyo more than some retired scholar he had never met. If he was suspicious, then it was suspicious. Yun Seung-hyo had been tracking this for a long time. Munpyeong trusted his instincts.

Munpyeong looked at Yun Seung-hyo as if asking a question. Yun Seung-hyo, who was perched on a slender tree branch as if he had no weight at all, nodded.

Tonight, Yun Seung-hyo had also changed into black clothes. A black night-prowling uniform designed to be invisible in the dark. The fact that he had it on hand without needing to prepare it suggested that this sort of thing happened quite often.

Yun Seung-hyo led the way, scaling the manor wall. Before they left, Yun Seung-hyo had ordered Munpyeong to follow in his exact footsteps. Faithfully obeying the order, Munpyeong followed closely behind Yun Seung-hyo like a baby duckling following its mother.

“Let’s go to the inner quarters. Secret passages are usually located near the leader’s residence,” Yun Seung-hyo said, gesturing towards the inner building with his eyes. Munpyeong nodded and followed him. Though Munpyeong prided himself on his movement and footwork techniques, Yun Seung-hyo’s were no less impressive.

Yun Seung-hyo melted between the shadows. His movements were so fluid they were reminiscent of the Shadow Drifting Stealth Technique used by the Devil's Shadows.

They infiltrated the manor as if it were completely deserted. Their movement techniques were astonishing, but the manor’s outer security was also ordinary, which made infiltration easier.

Unexpectedly, the security on the outskirts of So Manor was no different from that of a typical manor. There were patrolling martial artists, but they were all third-rate, suitable only for dealing with thieves who might climb over the wall, no match for a master of the Jianghu.

But their presence was just for show. As they passed the outer area and entered the inner quarters, the situation changed completely. As they approached the residence of the manor lord, which they had scouted beforehand, the security net became as tight as a fisherman's net. The guards who were openly visible had considerable presence, but even more dangerous were the hidden assassins concealed in the darkness.

The tight security net, with almost no blind spots, was made even more formidable by the efficient placement of both visible and hidden guards. After ducking down to assess the situation, Yun Seung-hyo pointed a finger towards the sky.

`Up? To the roof?`

When Munpyeong asked with his eyes, Yun Seung-hyo nodded. But there would be hidden guards there too. Munpyeong was worried, but since Yun Seung-hyo’s thoughts were surely not inferior to his own, he silently followed his lead.

Yun Seung-hyo went up to the roof first. He was so light on his feet that not even the rustle of his clothes in the wind could be heard. Munpyeong followed right after him. But in that brief moment, Yun Seung-hyo had already dealt with the hidden guard.

There was only about a half-step's difference between them in reaching the roof, but in that short time, he had found and eliminated the opponent. Startled, Munpyeong could only stare with wide eyes, unable to say a word.

Even if the gap between a first-rate and a peak master was large, it couldn't be this great. Munpyeong realized that Yun Seung-hyo’s skill was not, as rumor had it, that of someone who had just reached the peak, but that he was already approaching the transcendent level.

If he was lucky, a prodigy who would break through to the transcendent level at the youngest age might soon emerge. He was only in his early twenties, a truly remarkable talent. Even Cheonma, a prodigy blessed by the heavens, probably hadn't reached such a level at that age.

“Wait.”

Just as Munpyeong was lost in such thoughts, Yun Seung-hyo, sensing something, suddenly crouched down and reached out to place a hand on Munpyeong’s chest. A firm hand pressed forcefully against his chest. The white fingers, shining even in the dark, were more beautiful than a maiden's.

Munpyeong’s heart suddenly dropped. It wasn't a pressure point strike, just a touch, but his entire body froze stiff. For a moment, he couldn’t even breathe.

“Get down. Someone’s coming.”

Feeling his heart pound like crazy, Munpyeong quickly nodded. Yun Seung-hyo’s hand finally left his chest.

`Did he notice?`

Lying flat on the roof, Munpyeong anxiously glanced at Yun Seung-hyo. His hand had been placed right on his chest, so maybe he had felt it.

But Munpyeong hoped he hadn't noticed his reaction. If Yun Seung-hyo were to ask him later why he had reacted that way, he would have no answer. Munpyeong himself didn't know why he had done it. No, it would be more accurate to say that he knew, vaguely, but absolutely refused to admit it.

He was slowly beginning to acknowledge his own feelings, but he was not yet able to easily accept the fact.

To compose his chaotic mind, Munpyeong looked down below. A man of sturdy build was passing by. He was carrying something like a sack of grain on his shoulder, but when Munpyeong focused his vision, he saw that it was not a grain sack but a large leather bag that was wriggling violently.

“Let’s follow him.”

Having come to investigate the clandestine group, they couldn't just ignore such a suspicious sight. After calmly observing the man’s movements, Yun Seung-hyo made a decision. Munpyeong nodded and followed him.

Yun Seung-hyo slid smoothly across to the opposite roof as if riding the wind. As they went deeper, the security became sharper, and as expected, they reached the manor lord’s residence.

The man with the leather bag exchanged a nod with the guards and went inside the lord’s residence. From the building opposite, Munpyeong and Yun Seung-hyo made eye contact.

`What should we do?`

When Munpyeong asked with his eyes, Yun Seung-hyo placed a finger to his lips.

“Shh. Stay still.”

Yun Seung-hyo reached into his clothes and pulled out ox-hair needles, as thin as strands of hair.

“The one you need to subdue is hidden under the roof over there, beneath the right eaves. Close the distance in one breath and hit his pressure points. You must not let him make a sound.”

Only after Yun Seung-hyo pointed did Munpyeong realize a hidden guard was there. But he still couldn't confirm the presence of any other hidden guards. With his level of skill, he couldn't even tell how many there were, let alone find their locations.

Five guards were visibly present. And an unknown number were hidden in the blind spots.

Worried about using such a forceful measure as ‘subduing’ them in this situation, Munpyeong looked at Yun Seung-hyo with concern.

Above the mask, Yun Seung-hyo’s beautiful eyes narrowed. He smiled coolly and whispered to Munpyeong.

“As long as you do your part, there will be no problem. I’ll start on the count of three. One, two.”

The sound of “three” came only as he leaped from the roof. With no time to protest, Munpyeong followed him, launching himself towards his own target with all his might.

As Munpyeong approached with terrifying speed, the hidden guard stood up in a fluster and drew his sword. Accustomed to hiding silently, the guard didn't even think to shout in such a moment.

Munpyeong’s goal was to subdue him as quickly as possible, so he didn’t block the sword. As if unaware that the blade was aimed at him, he rushed straight towards the guard, then at the last second, just before the sword reached his neck, he expertly used the Iron Plank Bridge technique to bend his body back. He then twisted in mid-air and shot up diagonally past the guard.

The guard hastily tried to dodge, but he couldn't match Munpyeong’s speed. Using the spring in his knees, Munpyeong righted himself in an instant and plunged his own saber into the guard’s neck. The guard died without even getting to cross blades once.

Though it takes long to describe, it all happened in the blink of an eye. The guard was by no means an easy kill, but Munpyeong’s surprise attack had been too fast.

The dead guard's position was one of the most secluded among the various hiding spots. It was a difficult place to be the first target of an ambush, a position conceived by the security planner more as a defensive post than a sentry point. The guard who had been hiding there for a long time had subconsciously perceived his position that way. Munpyeong’s—no, Yun Seung-hyo’s—surprise attack had exploited that mental gap, so it was no wonder the guard had been taken down so helplessly.

Having dispatched the enemy with ease, Munpyeong turned his head to see how Yun Seung-hyo had fared. To his astonishment, in that brief moment, all the enemies were lying on the ground.

Startled, Munpyeong looked around as if to confirm what his eyes were seeing. It seemed they were really all dead. The cool night air was silent, without even the sound of the wind.

He had killed his target easily enough, but his attack was practically an assassination, a surprise attack on a single opponent. But while Munpyeong was killing that one man, Yun Seung-hyo had taken down all the rest. If Yun Seung-hyo had been his enemy, Munpyeong might have unhesitatingly uttered the word 'sorcery.' The feat he had accomplished was that incredible.

Munpyeong approached the man who had fallen closest to him. Looking down, he saw the man was already a corpse. But his body was clean, without a single wound, making it impossible to tell how he had died.

Curiosity piqued, Munpyeong focused his vision and examined the man closely. Then, he spotted a single drop of blood. A tiny bead of blood had formed at the end of an ox-hair needle that had pierced the man’s brow.

It was a terrifyingly clean job. Killing someone with a weapon as thin as an ox-hair needle was no easy feat, but to do it to multiple opponents in a single move was nothing short of divine skill.

“You know how to use the Earth Listening technique, don’t you, Munpyeong?”

In a daze, Munpyeong nodded. Since they had finished the job without a single clash of blades, the people inside the residence seemed unaware of the commotion outside.

Under the still, silent night sky, Yun Seung-hyo, who had felled nine opponents with a single attack, walked out slowly. Munpyeong, who now realized anew what a fearsome master he was, saw him in a different light.

“Let’s get on the roof. There will be many rooms inside; if we search them one by one, we might lose our targets.”

Munpyeong faithfully followed his command. The instinct to follow a stronger being is not unique to dogs. Humans have it too. Munpyeong subconsciously adopted a more respectful attitude than before. For a dog, it would be the equivalent of baring its belly.

Munpyeong climbed onto the roof of the residence and employed his listening technique. Before long, he could hear the sounds made by those inside the house. Filtering out the other noises, he focused on the meaningful sounds and soon picked up some useful conversation. At first, it was a low mumble, but as he focused his hearing, not only the words but also the intonations became clear.

“This little brat, where’d you find her?” a man said, his tone tinged with annoyance. It was followed by a thud, as if something had been kicked, and a small curse. He could hear something writhing faintly at the man’s feet. ‘It’ was just panting in terror.

“Don’t even ask. The tiny thing was hiding like a little rat. I wasted five whole days looking for her.”

Another man chimed in. From the way their voices echoed, Munpyeong realized they were in a secret room. A perfectly sealed room with just enough air to breathe, where two men stood.

“They said she didn't even go home. Where was she?”

With nothing much to do, they chatted idly. No other voices could be heard. There was no one else in the manor lord’s residence but them. It seemed Yun Seung-hyo’s guess that they would be cleaning up the evidence tonight was correct.

“I don't know. Probably sleeping under someone's eaves or under a bridge. If she hadn't shown up at the clinic with a silver coin, we might never have found her. Her arm was broken from somewhere, and the stupid girl came with stolen silver. The doctor thought it was suspicious for a beggar girl to have silver and was about to hand her over to the authorities. I found her just in time and got her out.”

Overhearing the story, Munpyeong narrowed his eyes slightly. A familiar story was unfolding from the men’s conversation.

A girl with a broken arm and a silver coin.

An image of a small face with one swollen eye looking at him flashed in Munpyeong’s mind. And the silver coin he had tossed her out of cheap pity.

Munpyeong’s face slowly hardened. He hoped his guess was not true. But the situation was heading in a direction that completely betrayed his hopes.

“Why don’t we just bury this girl here and leave? She’s not a virgin anymore, so it doesn’t matter, right? The only reason we were told to catch her was so she wouldn't go out and reveal our secrets. She's of no other use, is she? Didn’t they say a girl who has lost her virginity has no value as an ingredient?”

The man, clearly annoyed after having gone through so much trouble because of the runaway girl, made a terrifying suggestion to the other.

“No. Master Jeok said this one has a Three-Yin Severed Pulse, so it’s fine even if she’s not a virgin. She’s naturally strong in yin energy, even better than a virgin, he said.”

“Really? Well, if that’s the case, I guess it can’t be helped. Ah, it’s wriggling again. So annoying. Do you have any opium left? We should give her some to keep her quiet.”

“There’s none left. How could there be, with all the kids we had to move tonight? If it’s annoying, just hit her pressure points.”

“I told you, her pressure points don’t work. She escaped because her pressure points released on their own while we were drugging the other kids. Didn't you hear them say she just vanished after they laid her down and turned around? It was Myung Sam-ho's last words, you should at least remember that.”

“Then just leave her. She's tied up in a leather bag, what can she do? Just make a breathing hole and pretend you don’t know.”

The men’s conversation grew more and more outrageous. As Munpyeong bit his lip at their callous talk, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Munpyeong looked up at Yun Seung-hyo. Yun Seung-hyo asked where they were. Munpyeong stood up and walked to the spot directly above where the men were standing.

`They’re right below. Let’s go now.`

Munpyeong said with his eyes. His suggestion was pure, unadulterated sincerity.

Munpyeong wanted to jump in and save the child right now. He couldn't save all the unfortunate children in the world, but it was hard to ignore something happening right in front of him. Moreover, the child below was in this state because of him.

These men were beasts who fed opium to children without hesitation and used them as ingredients for their perverse rituals without a shred of guilt. And the child had managed to escape from them, only to be caught again because of him. Because of his own complacency in tossing her a silver coin instead of taking her to a doctor.

He couldn't save her entire life, but he could at least resolve her current situation, Munpyeong thought. Though he had killed many people, he had never once killed a child, and he hoped his hands would remain free of a child’s blood in the future.

“Listen a little longer. They must know the location of the secret passage. We need to find out where it is.”

But Yun Seung-hyo’s opinion was different from Munpyeong’s. He coldly made it clear that they would stick to the original plan and follow them. Frustrated, Munpyeong pulled down his mask to reveal his mouth. He mouthed the words to Yun Seung-hyo. A child. Munpyeong pointed a finger at the roof below.

`There’s a child down there.`

Yun Seung-hyo replied quietly.

“The ones we must save are the many more children. There must be at least several hundred more at their main base.”

The one Munpyeong wanted to save was not the hundreds of children he didn’t know, but the one he had a connection with. It might be selfish self-comfort, but at this moment, that was his sincere feeling. But Yun Seung-hyo was unswayed. He remained resolute in the name of the greater number of children.

No matter how many times he tried to persuade him, his words fell on deaf ears. Frustrated, Munpyeong suppressed a rising sigh. If he could have saved the child on his own, he would have acted already. But the secret room where the men were hiding was a place he couldn't break into alone. Powerless, he couldn't even save one pitiful child on his own.

Feeling dejected, Munpyeong began to use his listening technique again. Yun Seung-hyo watched him with a calm gaze. Not wanting to meet his eyes at this moment, Munpyeong closed his. But even with his eyes closed, he could feel the gaze on him.

“When is this damn secret passage going to open? Once someone goes in, there’s no news. It's so frustrating.”

“Can’t be helped. It’s designed so this side won’t open unless the other side opens. It’s not a short path, so we’ll probably have to wait a while longer.”

“We’re the only ones suffering because of that damned Flower Hero or Flower Fiend or whatever. What kind of a life is this, like moles?”

From their conversation, it seemed the secret room they were in was the entrance to a secret passage called the ‘Amdo.’ Munpyeong confirmed their exact location through the reverberation and tone of their voices. About four zhang (approx. 13 meters) below where he stood. A space that was both a secret room and underground.

Munpyeong felt frustrated by his inability to use telepathy. When the passage opened, they would have to enter it as well. If the door on the other side didn't open, there was no way to open it from this side. Not knowing how far the passage extended, if that door closed, their pursuit would be blocked.

Munpyeong stood up and approached Yun Seung-hyo. Yun Seung-hyo, who had been watching him, flinched and tensed his shoulders as Munpyeong came near. Just as he was thinking their faces were too close, their cheeks brushed against each other. In a voice as small as a mosquito's buzz, Munpyeong said to Yun Seung-hyo:

“There’s a secret passage. But its design is complex, so it can’t be opened from this side, only from the other. If we don’t follow now, we’ll be too late. We must hurry.”

Cheonma felt a strange sensation. The feeling of Munpyeong’s breath on his earlobe was vivid. Every time Munpyeong whispered, his breath was moist and soft. Not only that, but it tickled slightly. Munpyeong’s lips were so close to his earlobe that he could feel their warmth. They hadn’t touched intimately, but they had brushed lightly. Like being tickled by a feather, ever so slightly.

*"Do you know their exact location?"*

Cheonma sent a telepathic message to Munpyeong, hiding his complicated feelings. Unable to use telepathy, Munpyeong tried to whisper in his ear again. Cheonma gently stopped him and said:

*"Just show me with your lips."*

`Four zhang straight down from where you are standing, Seung-hyo. It’s a secret room. Underground.`

Afraid that his meaning would be misconstrued if his lip movements were unclear, Munpyeong spoke in the most concise way possible.

*"Are you sure it can’t be opened from this side unless the other side opens it first?"*

`That’s right.`

For a brief moment, Cheonma hesitated. Munpyeong’s movement technique was quite good, but he had no skill in stealth. If he followed too closely, he might be detected. To completely conceal Munpyeong’s presence, he would have to use a qi-barrier, but in his current guise as Yun Seung-hyo, he couldn't reveal that level of martial skill. And he couldn't reveal his true identity either.

Munpyeong still didn't know he was Cheonma. Cheonma, who had borrowed someone else's identity to move freely, had no intention of ever telling Munpyeong the truth.

“If I was going to reveal it, I would have just told him from the start,” Cheonma muttered to himself. If he revealed his identity and took this one in, he would have to drag around the subordinates his disciples had sent with him. But with such a cumbersome tail, it would be easy to leave a trail.

`How troublesome. This is why I told him not to follow, but he wouldn't listen.`

Cheonma inwardly clicked his tongue and looked at Munpyeong with displeasure. This weed was far too high-maintenance. If it were an orchid, he might understand, but he couldn't fathom why a common weed from the roadside was so demanding.

*"Then let’s go down. If they’re in a secret room, they won’t be able to keenly sense the presence outside."*

An underground secret room. The entrance to a secret passage. A place like that would surely be armed with traps on its walls.

After much deliberation, Cheonma decided to take a small risk and signaled to Munpyeong. Munpyeong, who listened well to anything Yun Seung-hyo said, nodded and jumped down below the eaves. Cheonma also concealed his presence and flew into the window of the third-floor room Munpyeong had entered.

The manor lord’s chamber they found themselves in was decorated with simple yet elegant furniture. A fine landscape painting hung on the wall, and the faint scent of ink still lingered in the air.

A refined scholar's room, fitting for the lord's publicly known identity. Standing in the middle of the chamber, which seemed as if its owner had just stepped out, Yun Seung-hyo scanned his surroundings with a sharp gaze.

It was a gaze as sharp as a dagger's edge. If his gaze had been sword-qi, all the objects in the room might have been disintegrated into pieces. What Yun Seung-hyo was looking for was the entrance to the secret room where the men were hiding. As Munpyeong had asserted and he had surmised, it had to be in this room.

When Munpyeong peeked into the open room, Yun Seung-hyo turned to look at him. Unlike Yun Seung-hyo, who walked as lightly as a cat, Munpyeong, unsure of his own footsteps, hesitated outside, not daring to enter the room. He was afraid of misstepping on the wooden floor and ruining everything.

*"Look under the bed."*

Yun Seung-hyo, meeting Munpyeong's eyes, gestured towards the space under the bed. Munpyeong, looking where he pointed, swallowed a gasp and nodded. He understood why Yun Seung-hyo was drawing his attention there. He, too, thought it was the entrance to the secret passage.

Skilled in tracking, Munpyeong could distinguish between traces left by human hands and those that were not. Thanks to this, he could see that one of the four bed legs, the outer one at the foot of the bed, was unusually polished. It was clearly the mechanism connected to the secret passage.

Normally, a bed leg is not frequently touched by human hands, so there would be no reason for such a mark to exist. He didn't know how elaborate the mechanism was, but if the people using it were this careless, there was no way they wouldn't leave a trail.

`What will you do?`

They seemed to have found the entrance, but the next step was the problem. Would they enter the secret room, subdue the men, and secure the entrance to the passage? Or would they wait for the passage to open and then follow them?

For Munpyeong, neither option was easy to choose. They didn't know how the passage opened or how long it would stay open. In this situation, any choice would be a gamble.

*"Are the men still down there?"*

Yun Seung-hyo answered Munpyeong’s question with a question. To get an accurate sense of the situation, Munpyeong was about to put his ear to the floor again. But Yun Seung-hyo waved his hand to stop him and, to the puzzled Munpyeong, proposed something different.

*"No, not like that. Try an abbreviated version."*

`An abbreviated version?`

*"Yes. The Earth Listening technique is a martial art that amplifies your hearing range by using the ground as a medium to enhance your qi, isn't it? So, if you use the Yongquan acupoint in the same way, it might not be exactly the same, but you might get a similar effect. Would you like to try?"*

Munpyeong, who had not yet reached a stage where he could go beyond the established forms, had never thought of applying his martial arts beyond what he had been taught. But hearing Yun Seung-hyo’s words, it seemed like an unconventional but worthwhile attempt. It wasn’t a complete change in the flow of his qi, just a slight alteration of the acupoint used for amplification, so it wouldn't be difficult. Without a second thought, he applied the Earth Listening technique in the way Yun Seung-hyo suggested.

He channeled the qi that usually amplified towards his eardrums down to the soles of his feet. His legs, being the part of his body with the most developed meridians, made it easy to forge the path.

Closing his eyes, he focused and sent his qi to his Yongquan acupoints. Just as his ears gathered sound, the soles of his feet began to gather sound. Munpyeong sent those sounds along with his qi to his ears.

When the qi reached his ears, he could faintly hear the voices of the men chattering in the secret room just one floor below him. The sound was much smaller compared to when he used his ears, but it was enough to make out what they were talking about.

`It works.`

Munpyeong opened his closed eyes and informed Yun Seung-hyo. The sound itself was very faint, but it really did work.

*"That’s a relief. Then please continue to monitor them. Let me know as soon as they move."*

Yun Seung-hyo, his thoughts unreadable, gave another command. His attitude of giving orders to others was so natural that Munpyeong followed his will without feeling any sense of awkwardness.

A short while later. Feeling the metallic screech of metal on metal, Munpyeong opened his eyes again. Yun Seung-hyo, understanding what he meant to say just from his expression, beckoned to him. Munpyeong quickly flew to Yun Seung-hyo’s side.

*"Which way does the passage lead?"*

`It seems to be behind us. It’s heading north.`

*"Hold on tight. Keep the listening technique active."*

Munpyeong thought they were finally going to enter the secret room, but his assumption was wrong. Yun Seung-hyo wrapped a strong arm around Munpyeong’s waist and, instead of going down into the basement, leaped out through the window.

Munpyeong’s heart felt like it would explode. His breath had caught when just a hand had touched him, but this was a step further—he was being held by the waist. His torso was pressed firmly against Yun Seung-hyo’s chest, and their cheeks were close enough to feel each other’s warmth.

Flustered, Munpyeong instinctively pushed against Yun Seung-hyo’s chest. In a voice as small as a mosquito's, he stammered, protesting Yun Seung-hyo's sudden action.

“Su-suddenly, what is this…”

*"Shh. Quiet."*

Having let out a sound in his surprise, Munpyeong came to his senses at Yun Seung-hyo’s stern warning and shut his mouth. But the shock of being so suddenly embraced lingered, and the blush that had spread to his neck showed no sign of receding.

*"I told you to keep the listening technique active. Can you hear them moving?"*

Did he think he could hear anything in this situation? But when he focused, he did hear something. To be precise, he heard it every time his feet touched the ground, and through it, Munpyeong realized they were accurately following the path of the secret passage they had dug.

*"Still north?"*

As if he didn't care that he had sent someone into a panic, Yun Seung-hyo repeatedly asked only what he wanted to know. Munpyeong reluctantly answered his question.

`Yes. But are we going to keep going like this?`

*"Neither you nor I know stealth techniques, so we have no choice. It’s better to follow like this than to approach carelessly and be detected. So, Munpyeong, please continue to use the listening technique to guide our direction. I will do the running."*

You should have told me that earlier, so I could have at least prepared myself mentally, Munpyeong thought, resentful of Yun Seung-hyo, who acted before he spoke. For Yun Seung-hyo, who was completely oblivious to him, it was likely a thoughtless action, but Munpyeong had nearly had a heart attack because of his carelessness.

Yun Seung-hyo flew through the air as if he weren’t carrying a person tucked under his arm. He leaped over three-story buildings in a single bound, and obstacles like walls and rocks could not stop his stride.

Yun Seung-hyo flowed over everything as smoothly and effortlessly as a cloud. Watching him, Munpyeong began to suspect that his hidden master might be from either Wudang or Kunlun. The way he moved resembled legendary lightness skills like the Cloud-Stepping Art or the Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon, and he could feel the majestic flow of orthodox internal energy from Yun Seung-hyo.

Yun Seung-hyo’s foundation was deep and solid like a deep-rooted tree. To have reached such a high level at a young age without any signs of coarseness, he must have been taught by a renowned master.

`Yes. That must be it. A renowned master of the Orthodox Faction…`

Munpyeong muttered to himself, imagining a sage-like old Taoist master in his mind. An immortal-like figure with a refined Taoist crown, radiating a transcendent aura as if he were about to ascend to the heavens. Yun Seung-hyo’s master must be a famous master of the Orthodox Faction with such an appearance.

As he forced himself to think about Yun Seung-hyo’s master, the attention that had been focused solely on the shoulder pressed against his began to disperse. The heat on his skin, which had been burning so hot he was afraid Yun Seung-hyo would notice, also gradually subsided. It was working. Pleased, Munpyeong tried to continue to focus on that thought.

Picturing a noble-looking old Taoist with a white beard that reached his feet, Munpyeong struggled to forget the firm feeling of the arm wrapped around his waist.

Contrary to his slender appearance, Yun Seung-hyo’s body was as hard as rock. The body heat radiating from his skin was not just warm but sweet, and the profile of his face, like a painting, had a more delicate line than any beauty… No. He had to stop these thoughts.

Shaking off the thoughts that were trying to return to their starting point in a moment of laxity, Munpyeong focused on the old man’s white beard.

As his imagination grew, the old man’s beard grew longer and longer. The Taoist master’s beard passed his feet and reached the floor. Munpyeong painstakingly imagined a magnificent and beautiful beard that even Guan Yu would envy. If he didn't concentrate on such distracting thoughts, he couldn't guarantee what kind of state he would be in, held in Yun Seung-hyo’s arms.

“Wait. The footsteps have stopped.”

Lost in his own world, Munpyeong almost lost track of the faint sounds he was following.

Belatedly realizing that the footsteps he had been tracking were no longer audible, he raised his hand. Yun Seung-hyo, who had been running through the mountain path, parting the bushes, stopped. Munpyeong closed his eyes, placed his feet on the ground, and sank into thought. Yun Seung-hyo watched him with a serious expression.

“I can’t hear it clearly. I think I lost it for a moment, but no. I hear a mechanical sound. A mechanism is moving.”

To Munpyeong’s great relief, it wasn't that he had lost the trail, but that the other party had stopped moving. Sighing in relief, Munpyeong reported the current situation.

“Then that means there’s an exit nearby.”

“Probably so.”

To have not lost the enemy's position while being so distracted was, in a way, lucky. Since it was possible not just by his own strength but with Yun Seung-hyo’s help in amplifying his qi from time to time, Munpyeong felt more embarrassed than proud. Yun Seung-hyo released his waist.

Munpyeong took a step back, releasing the qi he had been circulating in his body. It was the first time he had used the listening technique while running, and his whole body was weary. His ears, overexposed to qi, felt stuffy, and a sharp ringing wouldn't stop.

Munpyeong rubbed his ear, thinking it felt like he had water in it.

They were in the mountains. Having followed only the sound without looking at the path, it was hard to tell which mountain they were on. Guizhou was famous for its many mountains, and Kaiyang, in particular, had many strange peaks. The place where they stood was just such a place.

Sharp, pointed peaks like sword tips stood jaggedly all around, and the trees were all old and large, making the already dark surroundings feel even gloomier.

“Seung-hyo, can you hear it too?”

Munpyeong asked, still rubbing his ear because of the incessant ringing. Yun Seung-hyo, who had been calmly surveying the area, turned to look at him.

“I think I hear the sound of water somewhere. I’m not imagining it, am I?”

At first, he thought he was hearing things due to the problem with his ear. But upon listening more closely, it wasn’t his ear that was faulty; there really was a sound coming from somewhere.

`The sound of water in a mountain like this? The terrain doesn't even seem like it would have a stream.`

Puzzled, Munpyeong looked at Yun Seung-hyo for confirmation. Yun Seung-hyo nodded with a serious expression.

“I hear it too. There must be a waterway nearby.”

It was too dark to see any water. It was the hour of the Ox, the darkest time of night. Somewhere, a night bird cried out.

Munpyeong focused his vision and looked around. Yun Seung-hyo, who had frowned for a moment after mentioning the waterway, took the lead and cleared a path.

“Watch your step. It’s dangerous.”

Yun Seung-hyo warned as he walked. Munpyeong, thinking to himself that he was a martial artist, so how could his footing be dangerous, walked lightly, but after a few steps, he almost lost his footing. Rustle. Rocks and sand tumbled down from under his feet.

Startled, Munpyeong quickly lowered his body. Yun Seung-hyo grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to the ground.

*"Didn’t I tell you to be careful?!"* a stern reprimand came via telepathy. Munpyeong, who hadn't seen the cliff because of the overgrown grass, broke out in a cold sweat and squeezed his eyes shut. He had nothing to say. To make such a basic mistake. He was so ashamed he wanted to die.

Lying flat in the grass, he could see flames flickering in the ravine below. The precipice he hadn't been able to distinguish from the ground dropped off at a sheer angle from where they stood, connecting with the ground again some ten zhang (approx. 33 meters) below. At the bottom, a small shrine was built against the cliff face, and the light came from the torches held by the men milling about near it.

Because of the rocks he had dislodged, some of the men with torches looked up. Fortunately, the sheer cliff seemed to block their view, so they couldn't spot them.

*"It seems that Dragon King Shrine was connected to their secret passage."*

In the darkness, Munpyeong could only vaguely make out a building, but Yun Seung-hyo had somehow identified it as a Dragon King Shrine.

`If there’s a Dragon King Shrine here, there must be water nearby.`

Puzzled, Munpyeong narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings. Looking closely, he saw that the ground ended again at the flat area ten zhang below. The opposite cliff was only about three zhang away, so the water must be flowing below that. A rope ladder was tied to the cliff, and the men were lowering small boxes from in front of the shrine down the cliff using the rope ladder.

Having come this far, no one would fail to guess what was in those boxes. Munpyeong watched with a heavy heart as the small coffins were lowered down the cliff.

It seemed the humane thing to do would be to stop them right now, but Yun Seung-hyo, who pressed his shoulder down firmly, seemed to have no intention of doing so.

It seemed Yun Seung-hyo was determined to follow them to the very end and confirm their base before making a move. Knowing he was right, Munpyeong still thought he was ruthless.

His patience was remarkable. Even he, who had lived a life with little regard for righteousness and benevolence, felt his blood boil, yet a man who proclaimed himself a champion of justice could wait so coldly…

Was this the difference they called having a different caliber? Munpyeong felt his mind grow unnecessarily complicated.

Rustle.

Suddenly, he heard a presence behind him. The sound of something small stepping on the grass. Munpyeong, who had been looking down and hadn't noticed the approaching presence, reflexively turned his head to the side. At some point, something whitish was standing next to him. A small child with a very small frame.

`A child, at this time of night? What for?`

Munpyeong tilted his head and looked at the child’s face. In Munpyeong’s eyes, he saw a child’s face that was bluer than the moonlight.

A corpse-like face with no trace of blood, and blue lips curled back. Yellow teeth were fully exposed beneath discolored purple gums.

His heart sank. The child’s face was hideous. It looked like the face of a corpse that had died screaming.

“Watch out!!”

It seemed even Yun Seung-hyo had noticed the child’s presence too late. Yun Seung-hyo shouted in alarm and struck Munpyeong’s shoulder, sending him tumbling down below.

As he fell towards the cliff, Munpyeong realized the gravity of the situation. Yun Seung-hyo must have thought it was better to fall ten zhang down a cliff than to be attacked by ‘that thing’.

But what in the world was it? Munpyeong couldn't even comprehend what he had just seen.

Munpyeong hastily righted himself using his movement technique as he fell. From above, he heard the shing of a sword being drawn.

“Kiiiaaaang!”

The cry of a beast, not a child, followed. To stop his fall, Munpyeong plunged his saber into the cliff face and looked down. He saw the men with the torches spot him and come running.

Not just one, but three of them were rushing at him at once.

`This is the end.`

But there was no helping it. With his feet planted on the cliff, Munpyeong drew his saber and leaped down again. He would rather fall from the cliff and face the attack of three first-rate masters than deal with the thing above.

“Who goes there?!”

The first man to reach him swung his axe and shouted. But what reached Munpyeong first was a sharp iron spike with a bluish tip.

Munpyeong twisted his body in mid-air, changing his trajectory as he fell. As he fell sideways, the axe aimed at his head missed its target. The iron spike likewise only grazed his clothes.

Spinning like a top as he fell, Munpyeong kicked off the ground and launched himself towards the axe-wielding man. The man blocked him with the broad side of his axe.

The men who had rushed at Munpyeong each used different weapons. The one who seemed most hot-tempered used an axe, the one behind him used a spear, and the one at the very back used throwing weapons.

Those who use axes are usually confident in their strength. As seen in the examples of the Black Whirlwind Li Kui or the Impetuous Vanguard Suo Chao, axe-wielders are generally large and strong, as it is impossible to freely handle a heavy axe without innate strength.

The man who rushed at Munpyeong was no exception. He was a head taller than Munpyeong and built like a mountain. The axe he wielded looked to be at least 80 jin (approx. 48 kg). A man of that size swinging such a large axe was a great threat to Munpyeong, who was armed with a saber. Moreover, behind the axe-wielder was a man waiting for an opportunity to throw his weapons. The spearman also thrust his spear into any opening.

Fortunately, they had not practiced combination attacks. If these men, each equivalent to a first-rate master, had also been skilled in coordinated attacks, Munpyeong would not have lasted long. But they were unfamiliar with each other's weapons and often made mistakes, getting in each other’s way. Thanks to this, Munpyeong was able to catch his breath and hold on. But this luck would run out once they became accustomed to each other.

Whoosh.

The axe blade flew towards Munpyeong’s torso with a menacing sound. Munpyeong dodged and pressed his saber against the axe blade to divert its direction. A clean "grafting flowers onto a tree" technique. As the fierce force was deflected to the side, the axe-man’s balance faltered for a moment.

Munpyeong didn't miss the opportunity and rotated his body to press his saber in the direction of the deflected force. But he didn't succeed. The spearman, seeing his comrade's danger, swung his spear to aim for Munpyeong’s shoulder. And a throwing weapon from the smaller man flew towards his eyes.

Retracting his saber to block the throwing weapon, Munpyeong had no choice but to retreat. The axe-man, having regained his balance, swung his axe down at Munpyeong’s waist. Munpyeong met the attack head-on, his saber ringing.

In an instant, several exchanges flowed by. At a glance, Munpyeong’s situation seemed very precarious. With a cliff at his back leaving no room for retreat, he had to dodge the man swinging a huge axe, while also dealing with the throwing weapons that were sprinkled in at every small opportunity. It was fortunate that the spearman had few chances to intervene, an advantage he wouldn't have had if not for the axe-man's impatience.

Dodging the gleaming axe blade aimed at his life, Munpyeong glanced up. From above, a ferocious scream, more animal than child, continued unabated.

“Kiaaaaang. Kyaaaaaaaang!!!”

Hearing the sound, the man with the throwing weapons laughed hideously and taunted Munpyeong.

“Looks like you have a friend up there, huh? Too bad. If you’re going to die, it would have been much better to die by human hands.”

It wasn’t a very funny joke, but the axe-man cackled upon hearing it. The spearman also laughed ominously. Munpyeong couldn't stand their laughter, as if they were teasing a foolish child. He raised his saber to block and glared at them.

“What in the world is that thing?” a raspy, hoarse voice came from Munpyeong’s throat. A thing in human form but not human. That was what Munpyeong had seen.

It had the form of a child but was not a child. It was not alive, nor did it breathe. Munpyeong’s gaze automatically shifted to the boxes containing the children. The inhuman men smirked.

“A Geonyeja.”

“Geonyeja?”

He had never heard the word before. As Munpyeong repeated the name, the smaller man threw willow-leaf daggers at him. Thin daggers like willow leaves rained down on his entire body. Munpyeong dodged them with the "Golden Carp Leaping a Thousand Waves" technique.

Then, a spear flew at him, aiming for his side. Instead of ducking, Munpyeong ran up the cliff to dodge the spear's attack. It was a nimble movement, like a water-swollen swallow. But he couldn't completely avoid the staggered attack, and the muscle in his thigh was cut. Blood splattered in the air.

A scream almost escaped him, but he couldn't stop moving. To stop was to die. That was not a threat, but a fact.

He spun backward in mid-air, launched himself, and kicked off the wall again. He could feel blood flowing from the torn muscle, but he gritted his teeth and endured. His balance wavered for a moment, but he gained momentum. Munpyeong shot towards the axe-man. It was a moment where his outstanding movement technique shone.

“Kyaooooo!!”

A powerful scream erupted from above, and a shower of rocks rained down from the cliff. Munpyeong, who had been lunging at the axe-man's shoulder, kicked the man’s axe handle and flew behind them.

The whitish entity fell from the top of the cliff. It was the same child Munpyeong had seen on the cliff.

The child, who had looked like a spirit with its pale face and white clothes, was now in tatters. Its face and neck were sharply cut, and one of its right arms was completely gone.

Having fallen to the ground, it writhed and shrieked as if unable to contain its rage. As it writhed, blood splattered everywhere. The men, startled by the sudden misfortune, scattered with screams.

“Uwaaah. Get away!!”

At first, Munpyeong didn't understand why they were making such a fuss. Then he saw the axe-man clutching his face and rolling on the ground.

The axe-man was screaming and covering his face. Like his comrades, he had tried to dodge, but being slow on his feet, he hadn't managed to get away in time.

The axe-man thrashed about, screaming as horribly as the Geonyeja’s own chilling shrieks. His entire body trembled, and a black, foul-smelling fluid began to flow from his seven orifices. Soon after, the man stopped writhing and breathed his last.

It happened in the blink of an eye. For a man who had boasted such great strength, it was a pitifully shabby death. Startled, Munpyeong instinctively stepped back.

`What was that?`

The ones who had retreated even further than Munpyeong were the axe-man's former comrades. They looked more frightened than the clueless Munpyeong as they stared at what they had called a ‘Geonyeja’. The Geonyeja turned its reddish, flaming eyes on them. They gritted their teeth and suddenly pulled something from their chests, madly sprinkling it over their heads.

“Get back!”

Another shout came from above. It was Yun Seung-hyo’s voice. Reading the urgency in his voice, Munpyeong quickly retreated.

He had been worried that the men who were moving the boxes would rush in, seeing the urgency of the situation, but they made no move to approach. Instead, they grabbed the boxes they were carrying and scurried down the ladder.

They were not afraid of Yun Seung-hyo, but of the Geonyeja. To be so afraid of something they themselves controlled. Seeing their reaction, Munpyeong realized just how terrifying a creature the Geonyeja was.

“Further back. Its blood is more vicious than most poisons.”

Yun Seung-hyo, whose clothes were tattered, though he was in a better state than the Geonyeja, landed on the ground and shouted. Even in the darkness, Yun Seung-hyo’s ivory-like torso was clearly visible. It seemed he had torn off his shirt when the poison got on it. He raised his sword, which was corroded in places by the poison, and aimed it at the Geonyeja.

As if it knew what a formidable opponent Yun Seung-hyo was, the Geonyeja glared at him with terrifying eyes.

The Geonyeja, its back straightened like a venomous snake, swung its remaining arm and rushed at Yun Seung-hyo. Yun Seung-hyo coated his sword with sword-qi and met the Geonyeja.

Kkang!

When the sword and arm met, it sounded like steel clashing against steel.

The child’s thin arm, despite being struck by a sword coated in sword-qi, was unharmed except for a tear in its clothes. The creature, which moved more like a beast than a human, bared its sharp teeth. It then tried to bite Yun Seung-hyo’s neck. Yun Seung-hyo twisted his sword to knock the Geonyeja’s arm away and kicked it in the abdomen.

With a thud, the Geonyeja’s body was thrown to the ground. Yun Seung-hyo had used a proper kicking technique, and a sound like a drum bursting came from the Geonyeja’s body.

But even an attack of that level couldn’t completely kill the Geonyeja. It stood up from the spot without even bending its knees and launched itself at Yun Seung-hyo again. Yun Seung-hyo’s forms were as precise as if measured by a ruler, but that precision was not working well against the Geonyeja’s feral approach.

A flurry of attacks that a normal person couldn't follow with their eyes ensued. The Geonyeja attacked in ways a human could not, and Yun Seung-hyo blocked those attacks with movements that transcended human capabilities.

Munpyeong wanted to help Yun Seung-hyo, but there was no opening to intervene. He was afraid he would only get in the way. Anxiously watching the fight, Munpyeong held his breath as the Geonyeja, slipping past Yun Seung-hyo’s sword tip, revealed its sharp claws and aimed for his leg. Yun Seung-hyo used his footwork to move out of the attack range and brought his sword down on the Geonyeja’s neck.

Kkang. The sound of clashing steel was heard again. But this time, instead of bouncing off, it broke the Geonyeja’s neck. The sword struggled to cut through its neck, splitting it halfway. But it couldn't cut all the way through. Even with its neck half-severed, the Geonyeja bared its teeth.

“It can’t even die easily.”

Yun Seung-hyo muttered to himself and swung his fist, striking the Geonyeja’s head. With a sickening thud, the half-broken neck was completely severed. Blackish blood spurted from the child’s small neck. It was a thick, foul liquid, more like ichor than blood.

Yun Seung-hyo pulled the sword from the Geonyeja’s neck, then spun and bisected it diagonally. The child’s torso was cut apart like a wooden block. The Geonyeja’s body finally tumbled to the ground.

“S-Sword Silk!!” the smaller man shrieked. Hearing this, Munpyeong looked closely and saw that a thin, silk-like thread of qi was indeed flowing from Yun Seung-hyo’s sword. It wasn't easily visible in the darkness, but when he focused his vision, he could clearly see the fluttering movement of the Sword Silk.

“A master of Sword Silk. A transcendent master is here?!”

Munpyeong had the same thought. I couldn't believe it, but you really were a transcendent master? You’re not even in your mid-twenties, how can you be so fast?!

“Why do you think I came?”

Yun Seung-hyo said coldly, shaking his ruined sword. The sword, corroded by the Geonyeja’s blood, was now little more than scrap metal. Aiming the sword, from which the poison-like blood dripped, forward, Yun Seung-hyo smiled like frost. The smaller man, seeing that demonic smile head-on, felt his knees buckle.

“I heard you say something interesting earlier. That it would be better to die by human hands than by the hands of that thing? Fine. I’ll grant your wish. You’ll die by my hand, not by the monster you created, so you won’t have any regrets.”

The smaller man stumbled backward, looking up at Yun Seung-hyo. The spearman standing next to him also staggered, unable to withstand Yun Seung-hyo’s presence. They couldn't understand what grudge he had against them.

He was clearly a stranger, so why was this person smiling so joyfully while saying he would kill them? The contrast with his exceptionally kind and beautiful face made the feeling even more pronounced.

To the smaller man, Yun Seung-hyo looked like a celestial executioner from the underworld, come to punish him for his evil deeds. I can't get out of this alive. This man really intends to kill me!

To the smaller man, Yun Seung-hyo, who had cut down the Geonyeja with a single stroke, was a greater monster than the Geonyeja itself. Overcome with fear, the smaller man frantically threw his daggers. It wasn't the legendary "Ten Thousand Blossoms of the Sky" technique of the Tang Clan, but it was an explosive burst of daggers that was nearly on par. It was the smaller man's, a descendant of a branch family of the Tang Clan, life-saving ultimate technique. It had never failed him before.

But this time, not even that could save his life. Yun Seung-hyo vanished from where he had been standing and appeared right in front of the smaller man. It was a body-flicker so fast it left an afterimage.

Yun Seung-hyo unhesitatingly plunged the ruined sword into the smaller man’s heart. The spearman, seeing this, hastily turned and fled. But he, too, could not escape Yun Seung-hyo’s grasp.

Breaking the sword that was stuck in the smaller man’s heart, Yun Seung-hyo threw the remaining part, hitting the spearman in the back. The spearman, shamefully struck in the back, fell to the ground.

He screamed as if he were dying, not because the sword was in his back, but likely because the Geonyeja’s blood had touched his skin. Unlike the smaller man who died instantly from a pierced heart, the spearman died a more painful death, scratching at the ground. Even to the eyes of Munpyeong, who had seen his share of battlefields, it was a gruesome death.

An eerie silence fell over the clearing where the Dragon King Shrine stood. Three corpses, no, four including the Geonyeja’s, lay scattered on the ground.

While they were fighting, the men who had been moving the boxes had loaded all the children and fled. Munpyeong, who had been distracted by the Geonyeja, belatedly realized this and felt a pang of regret.

Yun Seung-hyo went to the edge of the cliff and looked down. From the depths below, only the steady sound of flowing water could be heard.

“…What should we do?”

Having witnessed through the Geonyeja what fate awaited the children who had disappeared from this place, Munpyeong asked in a somber voice. Yun Seung-hyo stared into the valley, his expression unreadable.

This gorge, reached after heading straight north from Kaiyang, must be the Nanjiang Grand Canyon. A canyon of hundreds of miles, winding through strange rock formations. Due to the terrain, it would be difficult to catch up to them without a boat like theirs.

“I will pursue them.”

Yun Seung-hyo said, turning to Munpyeong with a determined look in his eyes. Hearing his words, Munpyeong nodded in agreement. Yes. It will be hard, but we can't give up. As Munpyeong prepared himself to go with him, Yun Seung-hyo continued with an unexpected statement.

“Munpyeong, you should stay here. I will go alone.”

Munpyeong raised an eyebrow at the incomprehensible statement. After coming all this way together, what did he mean by that? In the face of a path that he himself had seen would be dangerous, he wanted to go alone? Munpyeong couldn't understand why Yun Seung-hyo was saying such a thing.

“What are you talking about? It will be dangerous.”

“That’s why I’m going alone.”

“I don’t understand. Aren’t two hands better than one? My skills are meager compared to yours, Seung-hyo, but I can protect myself.”

“Among ordinary humans, perhaps. But our opponents are living corpses. A moment ago, if there had been just one more of those things, we wouldn’t have been able to handle it. It will be even worse ahead. In that situation, I can manage to escape on my own, but I can’t guarantee another person’s life.”

Yun Seung-hyo’s meaning was clear. He couldn't protect him any longer, so he should back out now. But Munpyeong shook his head. He believed he had to go with him precisely because the path was so dangerous.

“You don’t need to be responsible for my life, Seung-hyo. You can use me as bait if necessary.”

“Munpyeong!”

“I’m not just saying that. I mean it sincerely.”

Munpyeong was sincere. This was a place that even the usually relaxed Yun Seung-hyo had declared with his own mouth to be a place of certain death. Munpyeong couldn't send him into such a place alone.

Yun Seung-hyo had saved his life three times. And… he was the first person he had ever fallen for.

It had only been yesterday that he had suffered through a forced relationship with Cheonma, and it was a cruel joke that the person he had now given his heart to freely was also a man. But he could no longer lie to himself.

Munpyeong loved Yun Seung-hyo. He had come to adore this man who had saved his life so many times and had always been considerate of him. So much so that just a touch of his finger made it feel like his breath would stop. So much so that in the most urgent moments, Yun Seung-hyo’s warmth made it impossible to think of anything else.

So he wanted to go with him. Call it stubbornness, call it greed. But no matter what he heard, he could not leave Yun Seung-hyo’s side. Especially if it was a place of death. Even if it meant dying, he wanted to protect his back. Yun Seung-hyo was the first person Munpyeong had ever felt this way about. For Munpyeong, Yun Seung-hyo was his first love, found late in life.

Yun Seung-hyo, no, Cheonma, couldn't help but contort his face upon hearing Munpyeong’s words. I want to die with you if we die, and live with you if we live. Cheonma recognized Munpyeong’s words for what they were: a confession of pure, devoted love.

His weed was now unhesitatingly offering up even its life to Yun Seung-hyo. Not to Cheonma, but to Yun Seung-hyo. Not to Seok Munpyeong’s true master, but to the mere shell his master wore.

`Do you like Yun Seung-hyo that much?`

Cheonma looked at Munpyeong, feeling a sense of absurdity that bordered on disbelief. He knew Munpyeong had a crush on Yun Seung-hyo, but he hadn't imagined the symptoms were this severe.

It had barely been two weeks since Seok Munpyeong had met Yun Seung-hyo, and yet the fool was ready to throw away everything for him. This was the same detestably self-centered fool who considered himself the most important thing in the world, who would gladly endure any humiliation to save his own skin.

It was absurd and outrageous. More than anything, it was infuriating. He had decided to see how far he would go, but this fool knew no bounds. He should have known there was a limit to how much he could be indulged, but Munpyeong was now offering not just his body and heart, but even his life, without a second thought.

`Is that yours to give?`

Cheonma felt like shouting the question out loud. His body, his heart, his life—they all had an owner. He couldn't understand on what grounds this one was so freely offering up someone else's property.

This fool must have completely forgotten about the existence of Cheonma. He didn't know how one could forget a man with such a large presence, but there was no other way to explain Munpyeong’s audacious behavior.

“What are you saying? What kind of man do you take me for, Munpyeong?”

Cheonma, wearing Yun Seung-hyo’s face, turned to Munpyeong with a displeased expression. Because he was genuinely offended, his attitude was sharp and fierce.

When Yun Seung-hyo was truly angry, he always showed it with a cool face devoid of any smile, and Munpyeong was intimidated. He hadn't expected Yun Seung-hyo to react so seriously.

“Seung-hyo.”

“Don’t you know this is not the time to argue about such things? Even as we speak, they are fleeing with the children. If we lose them, all the children who were just taken will become living corpses. In this situation, I have no need for someone who is in a sentimental mood to die. I intend to save both those children and you, Munpyeong.”

The two eyes, shining blue even under the dark sky, stared directly at Munpyeong. How could a person’s eyes be so beautiful? Munpyeong met those eyes with a pained gaze.

“…Munpyeong, you can stay and rescue the child left in the Dragon King Shrine. That child’s condition is not good.”

Yun Seung-hyo said one last thing before turning to chase after the kidnappers' boat. Munpyeong, wondering what child was in the Dragon King Shrine, looked back. At first, he couldn't find anything.

The boxes that had been lined up in front of the shrine were all gone, and there was nothing particularly noticeable. But upon looking again, he saw a strange leather bag left forlornly at the entrance of the shrine. A familiar leather bag. Hadn’t he seen it at the So Manor just a while ago? Munpyeong instinctively knew who the child inside that leather bag was.

I almost forgot. That child…!

Munpyeong turned his head to tell Yun Seung-hyo the child’s identity. But in that time, Yun Seung-hyo was already gone. It seemed he had gone to chase the enemies as he had said.

Munpyeong bit his lip, looked around, and sighed. He had really left him behind. Am I really that useless? Feeling the full weight of his powerlessness as a martial artist, Munpyeong trudged towards the leather bag.

Still, he was glad this child was left behind. Thanks to her, at least he wasn't completely useless.