The masked man could not hide his bewilderment. Even those who trained in internal energy would fall into a deep sleep if they were caught off guard by the sleep incense. For an ordinary person who had not learned martial arts, even a small whiff of this sleep incense would cause them to fall asleep suddenly.
But something unexpected had happened. Everyone in the government prison had fallen asleep, yet this boy was wide awake. 'What in the world is this kid?'
Just in case, he placed a hand on the boy's abdomen. And he tried to infuse his true energy into him. If he had learned even a little internal energy, there would be a rebound.
However, 'There's no rebound.' He hadn't learned any internal energy at all. In that case, he was indeed an ordinary person, just as he had heard from an acquaintance at the government office during the day.
But why didn't the sleep incense work on him? '...
This kid?'
Moreover, he was not afraid of the situation. Putting aside the fact that he resisted the sleep incense, a stranger had broken into the prison and immobilized him with a point-striking technique. Yet he was staring at him with an unwavering gaze.
As if he were observing him.
'He's different.'
He had heard the boy was a death row inmate, but he was somehow different from other ordinary boys his age. How should he put it? He felt something unsettling about him.
The masked man hesitated for a moment.
'It seems...'
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"Have you not found him yet?"
Someone walked in from the back of the prison. He was also wearing a mask, and his build was not very large. No, his slender frame and slightly short stature made it clear he was not a full-grown adult.
The masked man quietly opened his mouth.
"Young Master. I asked you to wait outside and keep an eye on things..."
"Is that him?"
Before the man could finish, the masked person who appeared to be a boy pointed and asked. It was the young prisoner with the messy hair, immobilized by the point-striking technique. The masked man nodded.
"Yes, he is."
"I can't see his face well. Guard Gam. Push his hair aside."
It seemed he wanted to check the face. At those words, the masked man hesitated for a moment before pushing up the hair of the boy, whose body was stiff from the point-striking technique. Then, a gasp escaped the lips of the masked boy.
"Ha..."
The masked boy genuinely could not contain his surprise. Seeing his reaction, the messy-haired prisoner could not understand why he was acting this way. Why was the man who had immobilized him and this newcomer reacting like this?
Just then, the masked boy took off his mask. '!?' The boy's eyes wavered. The face of the boy from under the mask.
It resembled his own, as if looking into a bronze mirror. The resemblance was so striking he could be called a twin; it was breathtaking.
There were subtle differences, from the way his hair was styled to other features on his face, but if he were to style himself similarly, it seemed even people who had known him for a long time would have trouble telling them apart.
"Do they look alike?"
"... They are nearly identical."
"Truly... astonishing."
"I was also shocked when I first saw this boy."
"I can see why."
What were the odds of a complete stranger having such a similar face? It would not be an exaggeration to say it was almost nonexistent. But the prisoner and the unmasked boy had faces that were far too similar.
After being amazed for a while, the unmasked boy approached the prisoner and spoke.
"You. You're a death row inmate, aren't you?"
"..."
With even his mute point sealed, it was impossible for him to answer. The boy gestured to the masked man with his eyes. At that, the masked man struck several points on the prisoner's chest. -Tap tap tap tap tap!
After the points were struck, the boy spoke.
"You should be able to answer now. You're a death row inmate, aren't you?"
To that question, the prisoner remained still for a moment before replying.
"... Yes, I am."
At the polite answer, the corners of the boy's mouth lifted.
"You seem to understand your situation well."
After all, no matter if he was on death row, he was just an ordinary person. Before a martial artist, he was no different from a cat before a tiger. It would be strange if he weren't polite.
The boy crossed his arms and spoke in an arrogant voice.
"I hear your execution is set for the day after tomorrow?"
"That is correct."
"What would you do if you had a chance to live a little longer?"
"... I want to live."
"Hahaha. Yes, of course you do."
The boy could not hide his satisfaction. How could a death row inmate with no options not cling to the trousers of someone offering to save him? The boy sneered and said.
"A chance like this doesn't come easily. For a death row inmate, you're quite a lucky fellow."
"... Are you giving me a chance?"
"Yes. A very big chance."
"What is it?"
"Even if it's only for five days, a chance for a guy like you to live as Mok Gyeong-un, the third young master of the great Lotuswood Sword Manor, is not common."
'Lotuswood Sword Manor?' He had never heard of it. From what he said, it seemed to be some large manor.
The boy did not know it, but the Lotuswood Sword Manor was a historic martial arts family in the northern part of Anhui Province. There was no way for him to know this, but one thing was certain.
"Do you want a stand-in?"
At the prisoner's question, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth curled up.
"You're not stupid. That's right. Why would I need a death row inmate like you? What I need is that face of yours."
There was only one reason he had sought out an identical face. It was to have him act as a stand-in.
"…Is just being a stand-in all I have to do?"
"It's only for five days, were you expecting something big? All you have to do is stay cooped up in the manor's annex and pretend to be this young master."
"I see."
"You get to enjoy life as the young master of a prestigious family for five days, and in return, you get to keep your life. What a great opportunity, wouldn't you say?"
It was certainly true. True, but the boy was not foolish. In the first place, isn't being a stand-in about taking risks in place of the real person?
There was surely some hidden danger lurking.
'A stand-in...'
But there was no other chance like this. He had been wondering how to escape the government prison in the first place. If he just stayed put, he would be executed by dismemberment.
There was no need to hesitate.
"Please give me the chance."
"Hmph."
Mok Gyeong-un snickered and gestured with his hand. At that, the masked man took out something like a small pouch from his robes. The boy, puzzled, asked.
"What is that?"
"Eat it."
"...?"
He wondered what that meant, and the masked man took a black pill out of the pouch. A foul smell emanated from it, and anyone could tell it was far from being medicine. The masked man brought the pill to the boy's mouth.
The boy looked at it and asked.
"... Is it poison?"
To this, Mok Gyeong-un scoffed and said.
"Did you really think I would just trust a mere death row inmate like you?"
"..."
"If you successfully complete your role as the stand-in, I will give you the antidote. Hahaha."
It meant he intended to eliminate any chance of funny business from the very beginning. The masked man pushed the poison pill against his lips and said.
"Open your mouth."
There was no choice. Looking at the sneering Mok Gyeong-un, the boy slowly opened his mouth and accepted the poison pill. Seeing him chew on it, a strange light appeared in the masked man's eyes.
Normally, if one knew it was poison, they would make a pained face and show signs of suffering, but he was chewing and swallowing it nonchalantly. He wasn't even just swallowing it whole. 'This kid really is different.'
He had the same face as the young master, but he was a venomous sort. That must be how he became a death row inmate, killing many people without learning martial arts. 'It was a good thing I prepared the poison pill in advance.'
Now that he has eaten this, if he wants to live, he won't be able to do anything foolish like trying to run away. The boy stopped chewing and opened his mouth wide.
"I have swallowed it, Young Master."
It was confirmed that there was nothing in his mouth. The poison pill was too large to hide in his mouth and pretend to have swallowed it. Once it was confirmed, Mok Gyeong-un commanded.
"Now, release him."
"Understood."
The masked man found a key from the bundle he had brought and unlocked the wooden shackles binding the boy's hands and feet.
'Hooo.'
As his hands and feet were freed, the boy felt like he could live again. They were called wooden shackles, but the inside was made of iron, pressing down on his wrists and weighing a ton. The masked man moved toward the entrance of the prison and said quietly.
"I will take the lead. You, stick behind me. Young Master, please follow behind him."
"Understood."
He had taken the poison pill, so he couldn't run away, but this was a precaution just in case. With him in the lead and the young master watching from behind, how could the boy possibly escape? A death row inmate was no different from a child compared to those who had learned martial arts.
"Follow me."
Just as he was about to open the prison door and leave.
"You! Ugh!" -Crack!
Thud!
Surprised by the sound from behind, the masked man turned his head. But an unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes. Mok Gyeong-un lay fallen on the floor with a horrified expression, his neck twisted completely around. '!!!'
It happened so quickly that the masked man was momentarily at a loss for words. To him, the boy spoke nonchalantly.
"What should we do? The death row inmate who was supposed to be the stand-in is dead."