The Underworld Blade King, Son Yun, who had been glaring at Mok Gyeong-un, finally burst into a wild laugh and spoke.
“Hahahahahat. This one’s quite a specimen.”
It had been a long time since he had met someone so audacious. Both outside and within the Society, those who knew even a little of his infamy would not dare to act with such gall. No, it was hard to even call it mere gall.
‘He’s different.’
The Lotuswood Sword Manor was a prestigious martial family. To think he would encounter such a lunatic in a place that was practically on the righteous path. For some reason, this brat seemed closer to his side than theirs.
And that made him interesting. After laughing for a good while, Son Yun shook his head and said, “A living secret manual walking into our Society on his own two feet. There’s no reason to refuse.
Good.
I hope you won’t regret those words.” At his words, Great Madam Seok and the second young master, Mok Eun-pyeong, could not hide their inner joy. The Heaven and Earth Society’s reputation was so infamous that they had worried things might go wrong, but this was the best possible outcome.
How wonderful it was that everything was resolved with just that one boy, Mok Gyeong-un. But Manor Lord Mok In-dan felt differently.
Squeeze!
His hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, tightened. He had never felt such powerlessness. If he had his way, he would have shouted for them to release Mok Gyeong-un at once.
For better or worse, he was his son. But the situation was ambiguous.
‘To think he had memorized the secret manual.’
He had been very surprised when he first learned of it. It was only natural, for he too had tried various means to see the secret manual, but had failed to even undo the skull prayer beads. Therefore, he had naturally assumed Mok Gyeong-un had the manual in his possession, not that he had memorized it.
He had thought that as long as it was returned, there would be no problem, since the boy couldn’t have read it. But that assumption had been completely off the mark.
‘…Now that he has memorized the secret manual, they will never let him go.’
If an outsider had secretly memorized the secret manual of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, they would surely pay for the crime with their life. That was how important a secret manual was to a martial artist. For that reason, Mok Gyeong-un’s judgment might be the right one for now.
It was a way to preserve his life, if only for a little while.
‘I am sorry.’
As the Manor Lord, he bore the lives of everyone on his shoulders, so he had no choice. If he fought to protect Mok Gyeong-un, they would surely be annihilated. That was how much of a monster that man named Son Yun was.
‘…Just hold on for a little while.’
Once they left, he planned to ask the Righteous Alliance for help. Along with the Heaven and Earth Society, the Righteous Alliance was one of the three pillars of the current martial world.
He had some connections with high-ranking people there, so he was determined to get his son back, even if it meant borrowing the power of the Righteous Alliance. But then, something unexpected happened.
Shhh!
In that moment, Son Yun’s form blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared behind Mok Gyeong-un. Then, as fast as a flash of lightning, he struck his vital points.
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pak!
Having his vital points struck, Mok Gyeong-un lost consciousness and was about to fall to the floor. Son Yun caught him with his hand and called out to the masked men.
“Take this one.”
At this, Manor Lord Mok In-dan shouted.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“The meaning? Did you really think I’d let him continue to bargain with his life, even if he said he’d come willingly?”
At Son Yun’s words, Mok In-dan clenched his teeth. He was truly a formidable man. Objectively speaking, it was a natural response.
“Well, that aside, now that the secret manual has been recovered, shall we calculate the remaining debt?”
“Debt?”
“Manor Lord Mok. Did you truly believe that after touching our Society’s property, you could just return it and everything would be forgotten as if nothing happened?”
At those words, everyone in the Lotuswood Sword Manor who had been feeling a sense of relief grew tense once more. They had harbored a sliver of hope, but as expected, there was no way things would be resolved so easily. Just then, Manor Lord Mok In-dan took a ready stance and opened his mouth.
“Are you going to break your promise?”
“Promise?”
“That’s right. If that child finds out you broke your promise, do you think he will tell you the secret manual he memorized?”
“Hahahahahat! Ridiculous. He won’t even know if you people are dead or alive. What meaning would that have?”
Along with his words, a powerful aura erupted. It was so strong that the expressions of everyone in the Lotuswood Sword Manor darkened.
“Are you really going to do this?”
As he spoke, Manor Lord Mok In-dan drew up true energy from his dantian. It was a touch-and-go situation. The Underworld Blade King, Son Yun, aimed his long blade at him, grinned, and said, “But since this old man is in a good mood today, I’ll give you one last chance.”
“A chance? What do you mean?”
“I’m giving the Lotuswood Sword Manor a way to live.”
“A way to live?”
“Yes.”
At Son Yun’s words, Mok In-dan frowned and asked, “What is it?”
“I will give you two choices. If you refuse both, the Lotuswood Sword Manor will be annihilated tonight.”
“... What are these choices?”
He decided to hear him out first. If they fought, the Lotuswood Sword Manor would be annihilated, nine times out of ten.
“First. Surrender to our Heaven and Earth Society and become one of our subordinate sects.”
‘!!!!!’
At the Underworld Blade King Son Yun’s words, a stir went through the people of the Lotuswood Sword Manor. It was only natural. While the Lotuswood Sword Manor was a prestigious martial family that aspired to the righteous path, the Heaven and Earth Society was not.
They walked a unique path of hegemony, belonging to neither the righteous path nor the Demonic Arts. Therefore, surrendering was tantamount to abandoning their pride as followers of the righteous path.
Grit!
It was natural for the people of Lotuswood Sword Manor to be so angry that they were stirring, even as they feared them. They would rather choose death than do such a thing.
“I would rather fight to the death than surrender.”
“You have integrity.”
Son Yun had expected them to refuse the first offer.
“Then the second option is for the Lotuswood Sword Manor to seal its gates for ten years, and I will take your heir as a hostage.”
“……”
The moment they heard the second proposal, the entire Lotuswood Sword Manor fell silent. Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s expression was not good either. He had expected them to make a difficult proposal.
His ominous premonition was correct. Sealing the gates. It literally meant ceasing all activities in the martial world for ten years.
Usually, sealing the gates would happen when a sect was defeated in a war between sects, or when that sect was on the verge of ruin.
‘Sealing the gates…’
It was a more realistic proposal than the first one. It was the only way to admit defeat without yielding their last shred of pride. However, during those ten years, the Lotuswood Sword Manor would be unable to engage in any external activities and would gradually weaken.
They would also be unable to interact with any other sects.
‘If we seal the gates, our manor will fall into decline.’
But it was a better option than everyone dying. As he was contemplating, someone approached him.
“Father.”
It was none other than the first young master, Mok Yeong-ho. He was the first son who had only brought him disappointment, known as a lowlife who was lost in debauchery. For him to speak at such an important moment, he couldn’t help but be puzzled.
“What is it?”
“It is said one must lie on firewood and taste gall. It will be difficult, but please accept this proposal.”
Lying on firewood and tasting gall. It meant enduring humiliation and suffering for the sake of the future. At Mok Yeong-ho’s words, a strange light flickered in Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s eyes.
‘This boy…’
He was not his usual self. He had thought that the boy had lost his spirit while indulging in debauchery. But looking at his eyes and expression now, he could see that he was barely holding back his humiliation.
In fact, he seemed even angrier than he himself was. While he was feeling inwardly puzzled, Mok Yeong-ho said, “Please send me. As the eldest son of this manor, am I not the closest to being the heir?”
“What?”
He was volunteering to go? Was this child really the same one who had only disappointed him, lost in debauchery? As he was marveling, Mok Yeong-ho whispered softly.
“It is a relief. That you have not yet named the youngest one as the heir.”
‘!?’
Manor Lord Mok In-dan’s pupils trembled. With these words, Mok In-dan understood Mok Yeong-ho’s true intentions for the first time. Mok In-dan’s eyes turned red.
‘Ahhh… Yeong-ho. Yeong-ho. Was all that time you spent lost in debauchery for that reason?’
Was it to yield the succession to the youngest, Yu-cheon? Was that why you stayed close to debauchery, bringing me only disappointment? Mok In-dan was so shocked that he clutched his chest.
It pained his heart that he had only reprimanded this child without trying to understand his true feelings. He was so different from his mother.
“Father. I am sorry for upsetting you all this time. Please take care of your health.”
Mok Yeong-ho bowed respectfully, then turned his body to the Underworld Blade King, Son Yun, and said in a loud voice, “The Manor Lord has accepted Great Warrior Son’s second proposal. As the eldest son and heir of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, I will go as the hostage…”
“No.” Just then, Son Yun cut him off.
Then, he pointed his finger at someone and said, “Where do you think you’re trying to pull a fast one? I will take that child.”
‘Damn it!’
The first young master, Mok Yeong-ho, bit his lip hard. The person Son Yun pointed to. It was the youngest, Mok Yu-cheon, the one he had tried to protect by sacrificing himself.
There was something they had overlooked. Unlike the righteous path of the martial world, which prioritized the first-born son or the first-accepted disciple out of courtesy, the Heaven and Earth Society strictly followed the law of the survival of the fittest.
Therefore, in their eyes, the heir of the Lotuswood Sword Manor was naturally Mok Yu-cheon, who possessed the most outstanding martial talent.
Clatter! Clatter!
Inside the baggage wagon, there was a masked guard and two people who were blindfolded, bound, and sprawled out. They were Mok Gyeong-un and Mok Yu-cheon. As they were hostages, no different from prisoners, their treatment was not very good.
‘They’re thorough. Haa.’
Mok Yu-cheon let out a sigh. Unlike Mok Gyeong-un, his fainting points had not been struck, so he had not lost consciousness, but his paralysis points, which paralyzed the body, and his mute point, which prevented speech, had been struck, so he could not move a muscle.
As if that were not enough, they had blindfolded him like this and tied up his body and limbs with a thick rope. They were thorough in their precautions.
‘How far have we come?’
It seemed they had been moving for several hours. It was a baggage wagon, so no sunlight came in, but the day must have dawned. He had thought they would make camp at some point since it was late at night, but they continued to move without rest.
‘A hostage…’
All that time, Mok Yu-cheon had been pondering his situation. When Manor Lord Mok In-dan had woken up, he had been filled with the hope that he could become the heir, but in an instant, he had become a hostage. A hostage of the Heaven and Earth Society, the most dangerous group in the martial world, at that.
He had no choice.
‘…What’s going to happen from now on?’
A hostage was literally no different from a prisoner. If it were a hostage exchange between groups of a certain standing, it might be different, but it was difficult to expect good treatment from the Heaven and Earth Society. Even now, he was being treated as less than human.
Thud!
As the wagon climbed a hill, he naturally felt someone’s body touch his, their weight pressing against him. Even if he couldn't move his body, his sense of touch hadn't disappeared.
‘Mok Gyeong-un.’
It was probably Mok Gyeong-un. Was his situation better than this guy’s for now? No, maybe it was better to be unconscious.
At least for that moment, it was no different from sleeping without a care in the world. Just then, the wagon came to a stop.
Screeeech!
He heard the sound of the wagon’s back door opening. And he heard a faint voice.
“Here… for a while… take a break. So… go take care of business if you need to.”
“Yes, sir!”
Screeeech!
With the sound of the door closing, the presence disappeared. He couldn’t hear well, but it seemed they were planning to take a short break here. Well, they had been moving for half a day without rest.
Even if one had learned martial arts, their stamina was not infinite.
‘How long do I have to be like this?’
Just as he was thinking that.
Rustle!
He felt a very small presence next to him.
‘!?’
What?
The masked guard who had been watching them had just left this wagon, so it was only him and Mok Gyeong-un. But who was moving? As he was wondering, he felt someone squirming behind his back.
‘Could it be?’
It couldn’t be. Not only had his vital points been struck, but his entire body had been restrained. Moreover, unlike him, hadn't Mok Gyeong-un been struck by that monster known as the Underworld Blade King himself?
As he was finding it strange, someone lifted the cloth that was covering Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes.
‘Huh?’
Mok Yu-cheon’s eyes widened. It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.
‘How?’
Surprisingly, Mok Gyeong-un was moving perfectly fine, and not only that, he had somehow even untied the ropes that had been restraining him. How on earth did this guy release the effects of the point-striking?