Chapter 290: They Won’t Be Able to Follow. (5)

“Lost them,”

Amidst the countless crowd.

The man quietly muttered.

His face wasn’t particularly outstanding or unique.

The man, who had a remarkably ordinary face,

had an impression that wouldn’t stick in anyone’s memory as they passed by.

‘Did they catch on?’

Impossible.

Our presence is something even martial artists who’ve reached the Hwa-gyeong realm cannot detect.

No matter how outstanding that Jin-ryong fellow is, it shouldn’t be possible.

‘So, I’m the one who lost them.’

It was strange.

I had been masking my presence since Jin-ryong arrived in Ha-nam,

but it had disappeared at some point.

‘How on earth?’

It’s not something that can be erased just like Cheonrihyang.

Despite his calm expression, the man had to desperately hide the cold sweat trickling down.

Something felt chilling.

‘I need to report this to the main unit.’

The mission itself was strange from the start.

If it were just surveillance, there wouldn’t have been much of a problem,

but this was…

something the Gaebang or Hao Mun would do.

It was inexplicable why the main unit would assign such a task.

Moreover,

‘I have to do it if they tell me to.’

Ever since the Black Night Palace members merged towards Tae-ju,

something felt different.

I felt like we were gradually getting involved with external forces.

We always worked for the liberation of our kin,

but as for the man, he couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

After losing some of our kin a few years ago,

our activities had been almost completely halted.

‘First, I’ll return.’

The man, intending to leave for now, wrapped himself in the cloth that had been prepared earlier.

Cheap trinkets were scattered in front of him.

These were what the man had prepared to disguise himself as a street vendor.

As he was hastily packing his belongings,

“Is the shop closed for the day?”

At the voice that reached him, the man put on a sweet-toned voice.

A customer at a time like this, of all times.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry…. Something urgent came up at home…so….”

As the man lifted his head to speak, he froze stiff.

The person speaking to the man in front of him was none other than.

“Perfect timing, you said you’re done for the day? Let’s talk.”

Gu Yangcheon.

The moment the man tried to think of a way to react,

Kwa-ak-!

“Kkeuk!”

The man’s face was grabbed by Gu Yangcheon’s hand, and he was dragged straight into a shaded alley behind them.

---

The hand gripping his neck tightened.

“Keo-heok…. Huk!”

I watched the man, who kept coughing out screams.

By age, he seemed to be middle-aged,

but age is impossible to gauge.

‘Haven’t been active for a while, huh? Started up again?’

He must be the same one I faced before.

That’s why the ring on my finger is reacting.

After the annihilation of the Black Night Palace,

I thought they had gone into hiding since there were no movements or signs whatsoever.

‘I thought they were different from the Black Night Palace.’

As is typical for those who operate in the shadows,

there might be some connection,

but I didn’t think they belonged to the Black Night Palace.

If there was a reason to hide,

since a major force had collapsed,

I figured they were just lying low for a while.

But here they are, crawling out again.

And involved with me, of all things.

“It’s you, you bastard.”

“Kkeureuk….”

“The guy who caused a ruckus on the street last time.”

The one who suddenly shouted, ‘That guy is Jin-ryong!’

And.

“Why did you needlessly smear something on me?”

The guy who planted that scent on me without my knowing.

It was so annoying because I couldn’t wash it off.

‘Good thing the guy in my stomach ate it, whether it was energy or not.’

Normally, something like Cheonrihyang used for tracking,

wouldn’t be possible since it’s not energy, but…

that didn’t seem to be the case.

I remembered those who approached me,

and this guy wasn’t among them.

‘So, it can be used from afar?’

I couldn’t know that much,

but the important thing was.

This guy was the cause of my recent unease.

“Why the hell are you acting up again? I thought you’d stopped bothering me, but…”

“Huk…. Why…are you…doing…this…! Great Hero…please spare me!”

“These guys all have the characteristic of denying everything.”

Well, it’s understandable since you can’t tell just by looking at them like this.

After applying a little more pressure to the hand I held,

I pulled out and activated the Ma-do-heup-cheon-gong.

Then.

“Kkeu-eup!”

The man’s eyes flew open.

Something’s odd.

The first guy I encountered didn’t feel any intense pain,

and even when injured, he seemed to regenerate.

I thought he was close to having an immortal body, or perhaps a demon.

But the few guys I met afterward.

felt pain,

and their bodies didn’t regenerate readily.

“Unlike that guy, you feel pain too?”

Uddeuk.

“Kkeu-reu-euk!”

I broke one of his arms as a test.

His screaming could be an act,

but judging by the muscle movements and breathing, it didn’t seem like it.

“What…what is this…”

Perhaps it was because he felt his internal energy moving.

The man’s reaction changed considerably.

And it wasn’t just that he was reacting.

“You feel pain…differently…?”

“The other guys didn’t seem to hurt much and healed quickly. Can’t you do that?”

“…That, could it be…you’re Sam-ho…?”

Sam-ho?

Was that guy’s name Sam-ho?

What a weird name.

In Shaolin, while possessing the body and face of a young monk,

the guy who was causing trouble.

It seems that guy’s name was Sam-ho.

Or maybe not.

“H-how…. Sam-ho shouldn’t be able to die.”

“What do you mean how? Like this.”

Kku-iuk.

As I slowly pulled his energy,

the man’s eyes gradually widened.

“Wait…wait!”

“First, I’ll ask slowly.”

I said, smiling as I watched his reaction.

There was no need to torture him gruesomely,

and since he couldn’t scream loudly,

dealing with him was convenient in many ways.

It was bothersome that they changed faces and bodies,

but for some reason, if I wore the Meng’s treasure, I could detect that too, so it was fine.

‘It would have been easier if I’d caught him back then.’

The ring’s vibration was very faint,

and since I hadn’t felt anything for a while,

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was him, but…

I could confirm it definitively by wandering the streets.

“What’s your objective?”

“Kkeu-reup….”

I could feel his muscles and acupoints tensing up.

Is it the effect of the restriction?

Or is this also an act?

“Since you don’t want to answer, next question.”

I didn’t drag out any single question.

Because I knew it was inefficient.

“Which faction do you belong to? Are you one of the Black Night Palace bastards?”

“…Ha-eu…Ha-a….”

This was the same for this question.

Just like that guy Sam-ho, they must have been ordered to keep quiet about this.

Just as I was considering easing the pressure a bit,

“Black…Night Palace is…. No, it’s not.”

The man told me.

“Oh.”

I didn’t expect him to tell me this.

This is an expression.

It told me that saying ‘no’ was possible.

‘So, is this a lie? Or the truth?’

I’ll just have to filter it myself.

“Alright. Not Black Night Palace. Then, no connection?”

“…”

No answer.

This is definitely different in quality from the restrictions of the Heavenly Demon.

That wouldn’t even allow for a denial like this.

A sudden thought occurred to me.

If I turned Namgung Cheon-jun into a mind-controlled slave and made him obey orders,

I wondered if I could impose even stronger restrictions like this.

Of course, I don’t have any intention of trying it yet.

“Ah, this is the last thing I’ll ask.”

It’s already the last question.

I had many things I wanted to ask,

but in reality, there was only one thing I truly wanted to confirm.

“Is Nak-geom’s son involved in this matter?”

“…!”

“Good reaction. That’s enough.”

It wasn’t exactly a denial, but…

I showed the man a smile at his reaction.

Even if this was all an act,

it was confirmation enough for me.

It was something I had hoped for,

and it seemed to be true.

As I smiled,

the man whose neck I held urgently said,

“Spare…spare me. I was merely following orders. I didn’t intend to harm your body…Kkeu-eup!”

“Whose orders?”

“…”

“It’s fine. I knew you wouldn’t be able to say anyway. Besides.”

He was begging for his life,

but the Ma-do-heup-cheon-gong I had activated had no intention of stopping.

As the man said,

they were just monitoring me, spreading rumors, or plotting,

it seemed they weren’t after my life, but…

“If you intended to spare me, you wouldn’t have said useless things.”

“That’s ridiculous…! I even gave you information…Kuaaaah!”

“You didn’t give me information. Because I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

He screamed while I absorbed his energy,

but I had set up a barrier,

and taken measures to prevent others from coming.

I had also checked beforehand to see if any of his companions were nearby.

[Kreu-reung…. ]

The beast inside me, having finished its meal, let out a satisfied snort,

and the person I was holding vanished without a trace, leaving only clothes behind.

Did he melt away?

Was his body made of energy?

It’s always like this with the guys I encounter.

I’m curious about how they work,

but I have no intention of finding out their base or identity,

nor do I want to go looking for ‘underground’.

Going underground is even less appealing.

Their base, well…

If the story has gotten this tangled, I’ll have to find it whether I want to or not.

Tuk-tuk.

And so.

After finishing the job, I brushed my hands off and looked to the side.

“…”

Wi Seol-ah, whom I had grabbed and dragged earlier, was looking at me with somewhat surprised eyes.

Her expression seemed to say, ‘What on earth is going on?’

“Just in case, I’m asking.”

Seeing that, I asked.

“Are you disgusted with me?”

“Huh…?”

It was a strange thing to ask in this situation,

but I couldn’t help but ask.

“I figured it might be possible.”

Unlike my detached state,

this was the first time I was showing her this side of me.

If possible, I wanted to leave her behind because of this,

but she had taken up her sword,

and if she couldn’t avoid entering this path,

hiding it wouldn’t change anything.

This was also part of who I was.

Wi Seol-ah, who hesitated with her lips at my question,

“…I’m not.”

replied with a peculiar response.

That’s unexpected.

Normally,

she would have probably said something like ‘hurting people is bad’ or something similar.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Wi Seol-ah still looked flustered,

but she smiled slightly and whispered the rest.

“Just…because of something like this? It couldn’t possibly happen.”

“‘Just’? You’ve gotten quite bold, haven’t you?”

Though, I feel like ‘Wi’ was always bold.

Moreover, Wi Seol-ah didn’t react as much as I expected.

A person melted away right before her eyes, yet…

She seemed more concerned about something else.

“That…thing you just said. Is it true?”

“What?”

“That Young Master Jang, he… Gong-ja-nim…”

“I don’t know, but I do think it wouldn’t be a lie.”

That guy could do something like that.

The problem is how they got connected.

‘Perhaps they’re involved with them from the start.’

That’s possible,

but I wasn’t sure about this part.

At least, even if Jang Seon-yeon was corrupt,

I hoped Nak-geom wasn’t rotten.

There’s a saying, ‘like father, like son’,

but if you compare me and my father, maybe that’s not always true?

“Gong-ja-nim….”

“Yeah.”

I still haven’t gotten used to that title.

“Wouldn’t it be better to keep your distance from Young Master Jang?”

“I’ve kept my distance long ago. We weren’t close in the first place.”

I didn’t have the slightest desire to get close.

The fortunate thing is.

‘Wi Seol-ah doesn’t seem to like that Jang brat much.’

Recalling that we were even engaged in my past life,

I was feeling a bit uneasy,

but in this life, Wi Seol-ah seemed to avoid Jang Seon-yeon.

“Young Master Jang is…a dangerous person….”

“I know. He looks dangerous just by looking at him.”

There’s no normal person among those who always smile.

Take Peng U-jin, for example.

Just seeing him always smiling showed he wasn’t right in the head.

Of course, that guy is crazy,

while Jang Seon-yeon is just a bad guy, that’s the difference.

“It seems like he’s determined…to chase after you, Gong-ja-nim. No matter what it takes.”

Wi Seol-ah spoke in a much lower tone.

Recalling Jam-ryong and Jang Seon-yeon from my past life, Wi Seol-ah’s words were not wrong.

As Jang Seon-yeon, who relentlessly pursued Jam-ryong with burning eyes, came to mind,

if he couldn’t catch up,

he would tear off his soaring wings,

and his pathetic appearance of trying to get ahead came to mind too.

That’s the kind of guy he was.

In my past life, Wi Seol-ah.

Did she really not know Jang Seon-yeon was like that?

As that thought crossed my mind, I asked the current Wi Seol-ah.

“Knowing he’s like that, why are you staying by that bastard’s side?”

“…”

At my question, Wi Seol-ah averted her gaze.

I didn’t like that, so I grabbed Wi Seol-ah’s chin and brought it back to its original position.

“Don’t avoid my eyes.”

“Eut….”

When did she start looking at me so intently?

Did she hit puberty just because she grew a bit taller?

As I grabbed her chin to meet her gaze,

Wi Seol-ah’s cheeks gradually turned red.

“…If we leave it like this, I don’t know what he might do….”

“I know.”

“So, rather, I…”

As if showing determination,

I flicked Wi Seol-ah on the forehead as she avoided my gaze but put strength in her eyes.

Ttak-!

“Ah…!?”

Clutching her head where she was just hit, Wi Seol-ah looked at me with her already large eyes wide open.

It was an expression of injustice I hadn’t seen in a while.

“I appreciate your concern, but don’t do anything unnecessary. I’ll handle it myself.”

“…Gong-ja-nim. It’s not that…”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but if I’m the reason for anything, then that’s where it ends.”

There must be another reason she’s staying with the Jang family.

Just like Sword Saint in my past life,

I’m thinking of asking about the reason now,

but there was something I needed to do before that.

“If that bastard tries to chase me, just leave him be.”

“Yes…?”

“He won’t be able to catch me anyway.”

“What do you mean….”

Recalling my past life,

before Jang Seon-yeon, who felt such inferiority towards Jam-ryong,

I had to think about Jam-ryong.

He’s truly a naive guy.

Putting aside his sly and lazy demeanor,

his heart was that of a pushover.

That’s why he not only tried to take care of guys like me who always glared at him,

but he sacrificed himself to save people.

He must have lost his life when his foot got caught in a trap.

The true righteous martial artists I’ve seen.

Most of them have short lifespans.

More than their own lives,

they are people who value righteousness and chivalry,

so how could they live long?

The saying ‘heroes die young’ wasn’t made for nothing.

Furthermore, there are many who try to exploit heroes.

There’s nothing easier to manipulate.

than people who possess righteousness and chivalry.

That’s why the righteous martial artists who now hold a position in the Central Plains.

I don’t trust most of them.

Especially after seeing their behavior as soon as the Blood Calamity erupted.

I couldn’t trust them any further.

But unfortunately,

I’m a person who abandoned righteousness and chivalry long ago.

My own survival was more important,

and I was confident I wouldn’t care about someone else’s life to save my own.

If he tries to chase me,

I’ll break his legs before he gets caught,

and if he mouths off, I’ll pull out all his teeth.

‘If I pull out his tongue, he might die, you know.’

He shouldn’t die.

It’s meaningless if he dies easily.

So.

“Leave him be.”

Actually, I was hoping Jang Seon-yeon would cause some trouble for me.

He’s plotting things starting now,

but this isn’t enough.

If my predictions are correct,

Jang Seon-yeon will act within the Shin-ryong Hall,

and the moment he causes trouble is crucial for me.

I’m aiming for that.

I still have to wait for that time.

“So, don’t worry about that. I already know.”

“…Still…I…”

“That’s enough. I’d rather you answer what I was asking earlier.”

I cut off Wi Seol-ah’s words.

I don’t know what worries Wi Seol-ah has while looking at me,

but I don’t want her to live amidst such worries.

I wish she could live her days peacefully without a care,

but if that’s not possible,

at least I hope she can live with a smile.

Not looking so dejected like now, but in a different way.

“I’ll ask again.”

“…”

“Can you tell me why your grandfather took you to the Jang family?”

Hearing my words, Wi Seol-ah’s eyes trembled.

Wi Seol-ah, who looked at me with inscrutable eyes, hesitated for a moment,

and finally slowly raised her hand and took off the cloak she was wearing.

Sa-rak.

What had been covering it slid down,

and Wi Seol-ah’s hair came into view.

I had seen it before,

but her dark brown hair

had turned a lighter shade,

and I could see strands turning blonde in between.

Gradually.

It felt like she was becoming similar to her appearance in my past life.

‘Why the hair all of a sudden?’

I wondered why she was showing me that.

Seeing as she kept wearing it,

I thought she didn’t want to show me that hair,

but Wi Seol-ah, revealing her hair before me,

after hesitating for a long time, just like before,

“Grandfather….”

opened her stammering lips and spoke to me.

“I think he wanted to make me human.”