"Damn it! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Why do I have to be here stuck with those stinking things?"
"Master."
"What?"
"Even though it's an organization we've formed an alliance with, you should be careful with your words..."
"What?"
"S-sorry."
"You fool! Do you want to crawl back into that stinking hole and chew on rat meat again? How dare you talk nonsense about being careful with words?"
"..."
"Remember well why I brought you, who can't even wield a sword properly, as the deputy leader. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Enough, just bring me some wine."
"..."
"What? Do you want to bring up the rule about not drinking while on a mission? What courage did you have to conspire a rebellion while following the rules so well?"
"That is..."
"Shut up and bring the wine!"
The middle-aged man bowed his head and retreated. The elderly man leaning against the rock looked at the man's back with eyes full of irritation.
"Foolish bastard. He doesn't even know who his master is and gets caught conspiring a rebellion."
After grumbling for a while, he glanced to the side. From the distant dark forest, a strong scent of blood could be sensed. The sound of something being devoured hurriedly echoed eerily.
A look of disgust appeared on the elderly man's face.
"Even here, they act like beasts. Neither this one nor that one can change their habits."
Truly, it was nauseating. Everything around him was filled with things he disliked.
And he wasn't pleased with the leaders of the fortress who had sent him on such a mission.
"Robbery? Ridiculous. It's called a seizure, but it's no different from robbery."
He couldn't believe he was assigned to such a petty and disgraceful mission.
In his heart, he wanted to line up the heads of the leaders who gave this order and hang them at the fortress gate until they rotted away.
"Hmm."
At least it was fortunate that those who would be robbed by his hands were not nobodies. If they were insignificant, he wouldn't have stepped forward even if a sword was at his neck.
"Is it about ten years since I last encountered those folks?"
His eyes drew a small crescent moon.
"I hope it becomes a decent entertainment."
Juhwa opened her eyes.
Soryang asked bluntly, "Did you sleep well?"
Crack!
Her upper body shot up like lightning. She moved so quickly that a fierce sound echoed from her waist.
Soryang frowned involuntarily.
"If you hurt your back, I'll get scolded by Master So."
"Y-young master?"
"What's the matter?"
Juhwa looked out the window in surprise. Before she knew it, the sky was dyed red with the setting sun.
"I've been out for half a day."
"Add a day."
"...What?"
"It was a day and a half."
Juhwa was startled.
"That long..."
"It was fortunate that I forced you to rest. You exhausted yourself by moving recklessly as soon as you escaped the inner demon. Even if your cultivation level is high and you manage your energy well, the body is still the body. Unless you're a supreme expert, you need to rest when it's time to rest."
"..."
"Well, in the end, you rested well, so it's fine."
Juhwa bowed her head.
She never imagined her body was so worn out.
Come to think of it, she had only been maintaining her body with energy circulation and hadn't looked into the finer details.
"Disqualified."
Was it because of the joy of survival, or was it excessive responsibility? Or was it just simple arrogance?
She thought that since she had escaped the inner demon, all that was left was to move forward again.
She knew she needed to recover her body first, but she only thought about the past events that might have been affected because of her.
"Who am I to..."
Soryang, who had been watching her with a hint of self-reproach on her face, shrugged his shoulders.
"Aren't you hungry?"
"What?"
"Aren't you hungry? You've been lying down for two days, so you must be hungry."
At those words, she felt hunger. Only then did she notice her lips were dry.
Soryang took out a bundle from under the carriage seat.
"These are rice balls and jerky made by the transport team. Eat as much as you want, but don't overdo it."
"What about you, young master?"
"I ate earlier. I'm not particularly hungry."
"...Thank you."
"Thank me for what? It's thanks to you that I'm here."
Juhwa flinched.
Come to think of it, she didn't know why the young master wanted to leave the sect secretly.
It's rare for successor candidates to leave the sect, but there was no need to go to such lengths.
The thought was brief. She decided not to be curious about it, at least for now.
"Then, excuse me."
"Yes, enjoy your meal."
Juhwa chewed on the rice ball.
The rice ball was made with finely chopped vegetables for easy consumption by patients. It seemed that the master had given special orders to the transport team.
Seeing this, she felt she was still lacking. Even if she worried, she wouldn't have been able to take care of such small details.
She was grateful for the kindness and didn't know where to put herself for the affection. Upon waking up, she felt her shortcomings in many ways.
"Did you finish eating?"
"Yes."
"It's less than I thought. You'll be punished if you leave food."
"Oh, then I'll keep this for later..."
"The food supply is ample."
"...I'll finish it."
"Are you full?"
"What? Oh... yes."
"Then give that to me."
Juhwa handed the remaining rice to Soryang with a puzzled look. Was he going to force himself to eat even though he said he wasn't hungry?
Soryang spoke up.
"Geumho. Come out."
Srrrk.
Juhwa flinched. Before she knew it, a small fox with golden fur appeared from under the seat.
Though a young fox, its legs were quite long. Its tail was almost as big as its body, making it look very fluffy.
Geumho quickly climbed onto Soryang's lap and lay down, looking up.
Soryang handed the jerky to Geumho.
"If your teeth can chew my fingers, you can crush jerky like it's rice."
Chomp chomp!
Geumho eagerly chewed the jerky. As Soryang expected, it quickly chewed and swallowed the jerky.
Juhwa's mouth dropped open.
"Y-young master, that fox is...?"
"Hmm? Ah, this friend is called Geumho."
Geumho.
The name was straightforward. A fox with golden fur named Geumho; whoever named it had a peculiar sense of naming.
As Geumho quickly finished two pieces of jerky, Soryang brought the rice ball to its mouth.
'Oh.'
Is it okay to give rice balls to a fox? It contains vegetables too.
The worry was unfounded.
Nom nom!
It chewed each bite deliciously.
Even wild animals sometimes chew on grass. Often, they do it when they want to vomit because their stomach feels heavy.
But Geumho wasn't like that. It simply enjoyed the rice and vegetables as if eating a delicious dish.
Watching it, one might think it could chew and swallow anything a living creature could eat.
Burp.
Geumho let out a burp as if to show off and lay down next to Soryang. It seemed to be licking its lips and then quickly fell asleep.
Soryang chuckled.
"Eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Not caring about anyone, playing when you want. Your life is truly blessed."
"Young master."
"Hmm?"
"Is this fox... raised by you?"
"Well, rather than raising it, it just follows me. After feeding it a few times, I got attached."
"I see."
Not a dog, not even a cat. She had never seen anyone raise a fox.
Looking down at Geumho with a satisfied face, Soryang suddenly frowned while organizing the bundle.
"Damn it."
It was the second day since leaving the sect.
It takes about ten days by carriage to reach the Jiangxi border area. Two days had passed, so there were about eight days left.
"Frustrating. Should I just run away now?"
His hand gripping the bundle showed bulging veins.
Hold on, hold on. This is still Guangdong, where the influence of the Heavenly Demon Sect is incredibly strong.
Not only that, but the sect's influence also extends strongly to Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
If he had regained his past skills, it might be different, but with his current skills, he'd definitely get caught.
No, even if he regained his past skills, it would be dangerous. In the past, he was the King of Killers, but now he's a demon.
Unless he had absolute martial arts that could overwhelm everyone or created a situation so perfect that everyone would be fooled, escape was impossible.
"Let's observe the situation first. I didn't expect to gain freedom with just this one time, did I? Don't rush, you fool."
The transport team wasn't going straight to Jiangxi either. They would stop by two branches set up in Guangdong.
While visiting the branches, he should take a look.
Check the branch's strength, how systematic their communication network is, how quickly they can control the area if they decide to move, and so on.
If it's not ordinary, he should give up, but if he thinks it's doable...
"Young master."
"Hmm? Oh, did you call me?"
"..."
"Why? If you called, say something."
Juhwa hesitated for a moment. But she gathered the courage because it was something she had to confirm.
"Where will you be sleeping...?"
"Here, of course."
"..."
"Ah, could that be uncomfortable?"
"N-no!"
Juhwa was greatly flustered.
Of course, it could be uncomfortable. He's of the opposite gender and even of high status. It could lead to bad rumors, which wouldn't be good for either of them.
But how could she say it was uncomfortable to his face? Moreover, if he was a disciple chosen by the heavens, she should feel joy despite the burden.
"Sorry, but bear with it even if it's uncomfortable. I need to keep checking on your condition anyway."
"I'm... fine."
"It won't be long. In about five days, the wheels will start turning. After that, I'll sleep elsewhere."
"I'm fine, young master! If you're uncomfortable, I can sleep somewhere else..."
"So there's no need to ask if it's okay or thank me for everything. I'm a rather indifferent person, so I don't really care. Got it?"
"...Understood, young master."
"Then that's settled."
At that moment, Soryang's ears perked up.
"I'll go get some fresh air, so rest."
"Take care."
Clunk.
After Soryang left and closed the carriage door, Juhwa let out a light sigh and noticed Geumho lying on the soft seat opposite her.
"...You really look comfortable."
Geumho perked its ears and smacked its lips quietly. Its lying posture remained unchanged.
Juhwa closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat.
Strangely, she felt tired.
"You're here, young master."
"You called?"
Madongpil scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have done this, but I recklessly called you to the forest..."
"Please."
"Yes?"
"Please, at least you don't say things like that. I'm already feeling troubled."
"...?"
"Anyway, what's the matter?"
During the journey, the young master had never come out of the carriage. It was the first time meeting since the Hongwi Gate incident, yet there was no awkwardness.
Thinking it was typical of the young master, Madongpil almost smiled, but he quickly hardened his expression.
"I thought you should know in advance, so I had to bring you here."
"So what is it?"
Madongpil took out a neatly folded letter from his bosom and handed it to him.
"Why are you hiding it so tightly... huh?"
"..."
"Is this true?"
"Yes. That's probably why the upper management sent the Protectors with us... Y-young master?"
Saaaak.
A chilling light emanated from Soryang's eyes as he stared intently at the letter.
"The Grand Elder of the Yitian Alliance is in the southern part of Jiangxi, you say."