Ma Dong-pil bowed his head to Gi-yang. "I see you're here too, Section Chief. It's been a long time."
Gi-yang couldn't find the words to respond. The same went for Lee Gun-seong. It had been a full eight months since they last saw Ma Dong-pil. His stern expression remained unchanged, but there was now a vertical scar running down the left side of his eye. It wasn't a scar from a weapon. It looked like it had been deeply gouged by something sharp yet blunt. Thankfully, his eye seemed unharmed, but...
However, the two men weren't just shocked by the scar.
The air in the room rapidly grew colder. The dangerous aura emanating from Ma Dong-pil startled them both.
"...Killing intent?"
An unusual killing intent was mixed into the flowing energy. It was a venomous aura, so intense that even these two, who were among the strongest in the Enforcement Hall, second only to the Hall Master, felt a chill.
Ma Dong-pil turned his head toward Lee Gun-seong.
Lee Gun-seong unconsciously clenched his fist, feeling moisture gather in his palm. Just a glance from Ma Dong-pil was enough to make him tense.
Ma Dong-pil's face showed a hint of confusion. "Are you feeling unwell?"
'He doesn't know?'
That was it. Ma Dong-pil himself was unaware of just how ferocious the killing intent he was exuding was.
"Section Chief Three."
"Yes."
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"...I see."
Ma Dong-pil's confusion deepened as he watched Lee Gun-seong hesitate.
"..."
"..."
"..."
An inexplicable silence filled the room.
Ma Dong-pil bowed his head politely. "It seems I've come at a bad time. I'll take my leave now."
Lee Gun-seong, startled, waved his hand dismissively. "No, no. It's been so long since we last met. Sit down."
"Is it really alright?"
"Of course."
"I apologize, but I can't stay long. I came to see you, Section Chief, to make a request."
"A request?"
"Do you happen to have any Gul Song tea leaves?"
Lee Gun-seong tilted his head in confusion. Gul Song tea was made from leaves grown in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Its aroma was too heavy, so few people enjoyed it.
"I do have some."
Lee Gun-seong was one of those few who did.
"May I take some?"
"That's no problem, but what do you need it for? I thought you didn't like Gul Song tea."
"The Third Young Master needs it."
"The Third Young Master?"
"Yes."
"...Alright. Wait a moment. I'll bring it right away."
As Lee Gun-seong, still puzzled, left the room, silence once again fell over the office, now occupied by only the two of them.
Gi-yang felt awkward. Despite being genuinely happy to see his junior after so long, he found it difficult to start a conversation.
'Why?'
Was it because of that intense killing intent? No. The eerie scar? In the Demonic Cult, scars like that weren't even worth mentioning.
'This isn't the Section Chief Three I know. He's fundamentally changed.'
Ma Dong-pil seemed like a man from another world. He no longer felt like the Section Chief Three of the Enforcement Hall but rather like someone who had stepped into a different realm. And all this in just eight months.
The camaraderie among the Enforcement Hall's section chiefs, the hearty exchanges between seniors and juniors, had been completely severed. It felt as if they had always lived in different worlds.
'Moreover...'
Gi-yang glanced at Ma Dong-pil's hands. They were covered in small scars he had never seen before. Even a quick glance at his palms revealed the marks of repeated injuries.
'What kind of life has he been living?'
Even during his time in the Enforcement Hall, Ma Dong-pil had trained relentlessly outside of missions. But back then, he had never carried such wounds.
The more he looked, the more puzzled, regretful, and awkward he felt.
At that moment, Ma Dong-pil, who had been maintaining the silence, spoke up. "You must feel both relieved and regretful."
"Huh?"
"I heard Section Chief Lee is getting married."
"Ah!"
Gi-yang shook his head. "When it's time to go, you go. By the way, you must have been busy in the Ancient Bamboo Forest. Where did you hear that rumor?"
"I come to the inner court once or twice a month to pick up supplies."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Gi-yang spoke with a hint of reproach. "You should have dropped by sooner to show your face. Why only now?"
"My apologies."
Ma Dong-pil scratched his head awkwardly.
Seeing his junior's expression soften, Gi-yang's face also relaxed. "How is serving the Third Young Master? Is it tough?"
"The harder it is for me, the easier it is for the Young Master. Of course, it should be tough."
Gi-yang smiled faintly. 'That's right.'
The strange feeling he had earlier might have just been his imagination. Though his appearance and demeanor had changed, Ma Dong-pil was still Ma Dong-pil.
"It's a shame you don't have much time. Make sure to drop by soon. Let's have a drink and catch up."
"Understood. Please convey my apologies to the Deputy Section Chief for not being able to attend the ceremony."
"Don't worry about it."
A short while later, Ma Dong-pil, having received the tea leaves from Lee Gun-seong, stood up without delay.
Watching Ma Dong-pil's retreating figure from afar, Gi-yang spoke. "Did you feel it too, Senior?"
"I did."
Worry was etched on Gi-yang's face. "No matter how I think about it, that killing intent isn't normal. Even a bloodthirsty killer who murders as easily as eating wouldn't exude such an aura."
"..."
"Could something have happened?"
"He must be living a life so dangerous that such killing intent naturally emanates from him."
"Of course. But what I mean is..."
"People change when their environment changes. Section Chief Three has adapted to his environment. And at least he's alive and well."
"..."
"It's regrettable, but isn't it a relief that he at least looks healthy?"
Gi-yang sighed.
A look of pity crossed Lee Gun-seong's face. 'He's grown stronger.'
The martial prowess of Section Chief Three, Ma Dong-pil, after eight months. In less than a year, he had become unbelievably strong. It was as if he had consumed some rare elixir, his internal energy had increased astonishingly, and his ability to control his energy had become remarkably skilled.
'That's what worries me.'
Even with his energy under control, such killing intent still leaked out. If he were to fully unleash it in battle, one could only imagine how terrifying it would be.
'What kind of life has he been living?'
He must have been frequently battling demons. But what kind of demons he fought remained a mystery.
Even the Enforcement Hall members who had managed the Ancient Bamboo Forest for years had never ventured into its depths. The same went for Lee Gun-seong.
'Being the personal guard of the Third Young Master must be a heavy burden. He must have crossed countless life-and-death situations to protect the Young Master.'
Gi-yang asked softly, "Will he be able to handle it in the future?"
"Of course."
Lee Gun-seong forced a smile as he replied. "He'll come back even stronger. I believe that."
At the entrance of the Ancient Bamboo Forest, Ma Dong-pil checked his condition once more.
'Everything's in order.'
He had packed new weapons, obtained herbs from his Blood Soul Pavilion comrades, and received the Gul Song tea leaves from Section Chief One.
'Shall we go?'
Whoosh!
Ma Dong-pil's body shot forward like a white streak.
Even without pushing his movement technique to the limit, he was at least twice as fast as he had been eight months ago. His once rigid posture had become more fluid, and his vision, which had previously focused only straight ahead, now scanned left and right with ease.
The ease with which he executed his martial arts was evidence of his deep understanding of them. The grueling experiences of the past eight months had further refined his martial path.
Having found his identity not just as a guard but as a true martial artist, Ma Dong-pil was a force to be reckoned with, and his future growth was highly anticipated.
After running for a while, a beautiful woman's voice echoed from somewhere in the forest.
Of course, it wasn't a real woman. It was the voice of one of the demons that had crept to the outskirts of the forest.
A strangely eerie, beautiful voice.
'A Zhu demon.'
Not a particularly dangerous demon. Those with weak internal energy might have seizures upon hearing it, but Ma Dong-pil was unaffected.
He passed by the sound without a second thought.
Before he had adapted to the forest, he would have hunted it down to eliminate any future threats.
But not now. Neither Ma Dong-pil nor Seo-ryang were weak enough to be troubled by such a minor demon. There was no need to waste energy.
Whoosh!
After running a bit longer, he finally saw his residence, the Green Bamboo Pavilion.
Click!
He stopped and activated his energy sense.
Hummm!
The demonic energy spread out, showing a qualitative improvement incomparable to before.
Ma Dong-pil, scanning his surroundings, tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't sense the Young Master's presence.
"Has he gone out for a walk?"
He let out a deep sigh. "He must have gone out alone again."
He wouldn't go to dangerous areas. They had promised not to go there unless they were together.
Still, he couldn't help but worry. What if something happened?
"...Though he's no longer someone who would be caught off guard by demons."
Ma Dong-pil's eyes flickered.
His stoic face showed an expression of admiration and respect that went beyond mere respect.
Ma Dong-pil had grown stronger. Thanks to the rare spirit bamboo they had luckily harvested, which Seo-ryang had refined into high-quality elixirs, some of which Ma Dong-pil had consumed.
The potency was so great that he hadn't even fully absorbed half of it yet. Even so, his dantian had expanded to at least twice its previous size.
A larger dantian didn't necessarily mean stronger martial arts, but it would greatly aid his future development. That alone was a stroke of luck and a significant growth.
Meanwhile, Seo-ryang had surpassed even that level.
'No matter how much enlightenment he's had...'
Ma Dong-pil shook his head.
Everything about the Young Master was incomprehensible. Ordinary people couldn't begin to understand.
"I should clean up before he returns."
Entering the Green Bamboo Pavilion, Ma Dong-pil organized the supplies and picked up a broom.
Swish! Swish!
With each sweep, bamboo leaves flew away. The dirty courtyard was cleaned in an instant.
Having easily tidied the courtyard, he cleaned Seo-ryang's room, his own room, the storage, and even the kitchen. He had become so skilled that his sweeping and mopping almost seemed like the work of a master.
"That should do it."
In less than half an hour, he had finished all the cleaning and glanced up at the sky.
"It's almost sunset."
Rustle.
Ma Dong-pil's eyes deepened.
In the distance, the bamboo swayed. It seemed the demons were feeding on the bamboo.
'They're getting closer.'
This Green Bamboo Pavilion was once the safest place in the Ancient Bamboo Forest.
But that was no longer the case. Now, the appearance of demons was as frequent as in the middle regions of the forest, and it was only going to get worse.
'It's going to get tougher.'
At that moment.
Screech!
From where the bamboo had swayed, the screams of demons echoed.
Ma Dong-pil, with a calm expression, placed his hand on the hilt of the long sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.
After some time.
Rustle. Rustle.
An unknown presence slowly approached.
Tension filled Ma Dong-pil's eyes. The spiritual energy of the Ancient Bamboo Forest was akin to the energy of demons, making it impossible to sense their presence until they were within a certain distance.
'The footsteps are heavy and steady. Not a猩猩 (xingxing)... but it's dragging something?'
Hummm.
A faint demonic energy rose from Ma Dong-pil's body.
The unknown presence was slowly but surely getting closer.
Grip.
His hand tightened on the sword hilt.
A moment later, the presence revealed itself.
"Oh? You're back already? I told you to catch up with your comrades."
Ma Dong-pil, recognizing the familiar face, relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
"You're back..."
But he stopped mid-sentence.
The young man who appeared was covered in blood, and the demon he was dragging behind him was brutally mutilated.
"...A Lu Shou?!"
"Finally caught it. Damn, it was tough."
The young man, Seo-ryang, grinned.
"Put some water in the pot. Let's try some venison."