The fight between the guards of the Lotuswood Sword Manor and the masked men was brought to a temporary halt by the shout of Underworld Blade King Son Yun, one of the Five Kings of the Heaven and Earth Society. But they couldn't let their guard down yet.
The Heaven and Earth Society was a militant group that had still not abandoned its ambition to unify the Central Plains. If Underworld Blade King Son Yun were to change his mind, the fighting would resume.
"... This is a big problem."
Great Madam Seok whispered to Guard Ho-aeng. From what she could hear, they seemed to be after some kind of secret manual the Manor Lord had found somewhere, and it was said to be in a hidden space within the Medicine Hall.
Swish!
She glanced at Mok Gyeong-un, who was still circulating his energy. That child... it seemed he had found the Manor Lord's hidden secret manual in the Medicine Hall. How else could he have used it to bargain with her without taking a single step out of the Medicine Hall?
Guard Ho-aeng spoke to her.
"Madam... shouldn't we inform the Manor Lord?"
"We should, but..."
A peculiar look appeared in Madam Seok’s eyes. For the future of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, she should report it now so the Manor Lord could quickly handle the situation. But a clever idea popped into Madam Seok’s head.
'That child sent me two pages of the Lotuswood Sword Formation Art and said the rest of the incantations were all in his head.' Given that cunning boy’s personality, there was a high probability he had memorized and destroyed the secret manual as well. She was sure of it.
Then there was no need to tell the Manor Lord right now. If someone had memorized a secret manual so precious that the Heaven and Earth Society called it a treasure, how would they react?
"I think we can tell him a little later."
The corners of Madam Seok's lips curled up slightly. If she played her cards right, she might be able to get rid of a troublesome thorn in her side right here. Just then, Mok Gyeong-un, who had been lost in the depths of energy circulation while the situation unfolded, finally opened his eyes.
"Young Master!"
Guard Go Chan, who was standing guard beside him, called out in a low voice. Mok Gyeong-un glanced at him once, then scanned his surroundings. Seeing the situation frozen in a standoff, Mok Gyeong-un smacked his lips in disappointment.
'I wondered why the aura of death was cut off midway.' It was because the fighting had stopped. Mok Gyeong-un was actually disappointed that no one else was dying.
But for now, understanding the situation was the priority.
"What happened?"
And come to think of it, why was the Demonic Monk in the state of a vengeful spirit, and what happened to the Outer Hall Master’s body?
"Well..."
Go Chan whispered into the puzzled Mok Gyeong-un's ear, explaining what had happened. Mok Yu-cheon glanced at Mok Gyeong-un with a look of envy. 'When did that bastard get a guard like that?'
He had never seen him before, and he couldn't help but be surprised that Go Chan was Mok Gyeong-un’s guard. His looks were exceptional, but his martial prowess was especially surprising. Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un, who had grasped the situation to some extent, stroked his chin and let out a soft groan.
"Hmm."
'What am I going to do about this?' Go Chan looked at Mok Gyeong-un with a troubled expression. It was a true dilemma.
Soon, the masked man from the Heaven and Earth Society who had gone to search the secret place in the Medicine Hall would return. If that happened, a disaster could unfold.
"Young Master... the Heaven and Earth Society is a truly dangerous group. If by any chance..."
"Just a moment."
"Yes?"
Puzzled, Go Chan watched as Mok Gyeong-un approached Manor Lord Mok In-dan, who was waiting with an anxious expression. Mok In-dan admonished him in a low voice.
"If you're injured, just rest quietly. Right now..."
"May I ask who gave you that wound on your side?"
"What?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's sudden question, Manor Lord Mok In-dan furrowed his brow. In this unpredictable situation, why was this child acting like this? The Manor Lord sighed and said.
"This isn't the time to talk about..."
"There's nothing in the basement of the Medicine Hall."
At those words, the Manor Lord was momentarily flustered and almost blurted something out, but he barely managed to restrain himself, his eyes darting around to survey the area. Underworld Blade King Son Yun was watching him, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. Conscious of him, the Manor Lord whispered even more softly.
"What do you mean by that? What do you mean there's nothing in the basement of the Medicine Hall..."
"It's just as I said. So if you tell me where, how, and from whom you got that wound on your side, I will handle this situation."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s eyes grew fierce. Mok In-dan glared at Mok Gyeong-un and spoke.
"Did you go into the basement by any chance?"
"Yes."
"How did you... ha!"
He felt an urge to grab the back of his neck. How in the world did this boy find out about that place and go there? And he couldn't understand why he was so obsessed with this wound of his.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
"Don't tell me you touched it?"
"Tell me first."
"You!"
The Lotuswood Sword Manor was in a life-or-death crisis, what was he doing? His anger flaring, Manor Lord Mok In-dan grabbed Mok Gyeong-un by the wrist. He squeezed and spoke.
Squeeze!
"Where is it? Tell me right now. The future of this Manor is at stake. This is not a situation where I can tolerate your games..."
"Does it look like a game to you?" '?!'
Manor Lord Mok In-dan frowned. Was this boy really the child he knew? Even though he was gripping his wrist so tightly and trying to intimidate him, the boy didn't avoid his gaze in the slightest and showed no sign of fear.
"You..."
It was at that moment.
Tat-tat-tat-tak!
A masked man could be seen rushing over. Seeing this, Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s expression hardened. It was the masked man he had sent to the Medicine Hall.
Underworld Blade King Son Yun, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up and spoke.
"Did you find it?"
"It is here."
The masked man knelt on one knee and respectfully presented a wooden box covered in old, tattered talismans. Son Yun accepted the wooden box with both hands, unable to hide his excitement.
"It returns to the hands of our society once more."
Watching this, Manor Lord Mok In-dan asked Mok Gyeong-un.
"You... you lied to your father?"
Otherwise, there was no way the wooden box would be there, perfectly intact. Mok In-dan, who had been worried a major disaster would occur, let out a sigh of relief as his tension momentarily eased. If they took that and left, there would be no more harm...
Click!
At that moment, Underworld Blade King Son Yun raised an eyebrow and opened the lid of the wooden box. He seemed to be checking if there was anything inside. But then, Shwaaaaaa!
In that instant, an immense killing intent erupted from Underworld Blade King Son Yun. The force was so strong that everyone, whether from the Lotuswood Sword Manor or the masked men, flinched. 'Why all of a sudden?'
Manor Lord Mok In-dan, who had been feeling relieved, was baffled. Mok In-dan looked at Mok Gyeong-un. Could it be that the contents were missing?
"I believe I told you."
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Mok In-dan was beyond angry; he was dumbfounded. Was this boy in his right mind? But unlike him, there was one person who welcomed this situation.
It was the Great Madam Seok.
'Perfect!'
She had wondered if Mok Gyeong-un hadn't touched the wooden box after all. But seeing that man’s reaction, it seemed that wasn't the case. This was her chance.
Madam Seok took a step forward. Just as she was about to open her mouth, Underworld Blade King Son Yun used his thumb and forefinger to pull something out of the wooden box. It was, 'An earring?'
It was an ornate earring made of jade and silver. There was only one, and no matter how she looked at it, it was something worn by women. '!!!!!!!' Seeing this, Madam Seok could not hide her bewilderment.
It made sense, as that earring should have been in her own jade ornament box. But why was it in there? It was a situation a ghost would find baffling.
'Wait, don't tell me?' Madam Seok looked in Mok Gyeong-un's direction in surprise. She had intended to look at Mok Gyeong-un, but her eyes met Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s first.
Mok In-dan wore an expression that said, 'What in the world is going on?' And for good reason. 'Of all things...'
That was one of the pieces of jewelry he had gifted her. It was only natural for Mok In-dan to be suspicious. As she stood there flustered, she saw Mok Gyeong-un, standing next to him, smirk and shrug his shoulders.
'You!'
Only then did she become certain that it was Mok Gyeong-un's doing. He was the only one who had been to that place. At that moment, Underworld Blade King Son Yun held the earring up towards Manor Lord Mok In-dan and spoke, blatantly radiating killing intent.
"Manor Lord Mok. What is this?"
Manor Lord Mok In-dan was at a loss for words. The absence of the secret manual wrapped in skull prayer beads was a problem in itself, but he couldn't very well say that the earring belonged to his wife.
"So you choose punishment after all."
Shing!
Underworld Blade King Son Yun drew the long blade from his back. The masked men did the same. As they who had sheathed their weapons drew their swords again, the guards of the Lotuswood Sword Manor also drew their weapons with tense faces.
It was a hair-trigger situation. At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un shouted.
"Great Aunt! The Manor is in danger, are you going to stand there with your mouth shut? Isn't that earring yours?" '?!'
For a moment, Madam Seok could not hide her bewilderment. She was already at a loss because she knew it was her earring, but she never expected him to suddenly drag her into it.
"You! Wh-what are you..."
"Ho. So this earring belongs to the Manor Lord's wife?"
Underworld Blade King Son Yun glared at Madam Seok as he said this. Feeling fear from his sharp gaze and powerful presence, Madam Seok stumbled backward. She waved her hands and said.
"Gr-Great Warrior Son. I think there's been some misunderstanding, this is..."
"Great Aunt! We can end this without bloodshed, why are you being like this? If you have the secret manual, please give it to them quickly."
'This bastard!'
At Mok Gyeong-un's cry, she felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to rip Mok Gyeong-un's mouth apart right then and there, but the monstrous master from the Heaven and Earth Society, whom even the Manor Lord couldn't handle, was glaring at her as if he would kill her, and her lips wouldn't move.
Squeeze!
Manor Lord Mok In-dan gripped Mok Gyeong-un's wrist and urged him in a small voice.
"Stop it!"
"Yes?"
"What in the world are you doing? Even if she's not your biological mother, how could you..."
"You're more naive than you look."
"What did you say?"
"That woman went so far as to call an Occultist to find out from your mouth where the Manor Lord's exclusive secret manual was, and then planned to have you killed. And you're thinking of protecting her?" '?!'
At those words, Mok In-dan’s expression hardened. What was this all about? To the bewildered man, Mok Gyeong-un twitched his lips and whispered.
"So you don't have to feel so guilty. If we're lucky and can save everyone with the sacrifice of that one woman, isn't that a good thing in its own way?"
A whisper like the temptation of a demon. At this, Manor Lord Mok In-dan felt a chill run down his entire body.