Chapter 191: Old Dog.

Kkududuk-

The blackened, burnt ashes around crumbled and scattered.

It was because flames, intentionally unrestrained, had swept through the area.

“Kill… kill meee…”

To the pitiful words of the last remaining bastard.

I did as he wished.

Ududuk.

The one whose neck snapped died right then and there.

He was a dead man walking anyway, even if I’d left him alone.

‘It’s been a while, so maybe that’s why controlling it isn’t easy.’

‘In the past, I would have dragged it out, keeping him alive just long enough to inflict maximum pain, but…’

‘Unfortunately, that’s impossible right now.’

[…You’ve created a small purgatory here.]

Those were the words of the god Noyaa, looking at the devastated surroundings.

‘Purgatory, huh.’

‘It does feel somewhat similar.’

The flames that remained, refusing to vanish, were burning away the surrounding greenery.

An unknown stench wafted from the corpses that had burned to death.

One person turned to dust and vanished as their energy was absorbed.

The remaining five met their end, turning into ash.

And the one I faced before them also turned to dust.

That made seven, precisely.

‘…Just how many bastards like this are there?’

I hadn’t thought it would be just one.

Still, two guys who could peel off others’ faces and bodies to wear them showed up.

This was also something I didn’t know in my past life.

‘Did I finish dealing with them all, for now?’

They wouldn’t have had a comfortable death being scorched by flames.

Meanwhile, my furrowed brow showed no signs of relaxing.

It wasn’t because of any feelings towards those I killed with my own hands.

The time for feeling such things passed long ago.

‘I didn’t gain much.’

This is why I’m in a foul mood.

Even though I had subdued five mouths, there wasn’t much useful information gained.

Of course, it wasn’t that they refused to speak, but…

…they never spat out the information I wanted.

‘Though it’s closer to saying I failed.’

That damned seal.

Those who practice stealth are confirmed to carry them on their bodies, but…

…they were more complex than expected, making it impossible to break them right now.

‘What I did gain was confirmation that these guys belong to the Gu family.’

I didn’t recognize their faces when I saw them, but that’s not important.

After all, there’s no way I’d know every martial artist in every major family.

‘However, the unique aura emanating from their bodies was definitely that of the Gu Seon Sect.’

It was the Gu Seon Sect’s unique internal energy technique, the same one Gu Jeolyeop and Elder Il possessed.

A different aura from the Gu family’s direct lineage’s Gu Yeom Hwaryun Gong.

This was information I obtained after burning the second guy and moving on to the third.

It was something I expected anyway, so it wasn’t particularly helpful information.

‘The other thing was about why they were operating with those strange individuals.’

What I could find out about that was, ultimately, that even they didn’t know the details.

‘They were just following orders from above, and thought the ones wearing the human skin masks were like that.’

‘The probability of this statement being false…’

‘It’s not zero, but it’s probably not very high.’

I wasn’t concerned about why they were doing this to me, their kin.

When I can’t even trust my own bloodline, there’s no way I’d trust mere martial artists affiliated with a family.

‘The important thing is that I ultimately didn’t get the full story.’

I obtained some necessary information, but I failed to get the part I considered most crucial.

‘That Elder Il was behind all of this.’

‘If I could have broken the seal, it would have been better.’

To break a seal placed by an opponent, one must possess a higher level than the sealer.

And it required an absurd level of finesse in manipulating energy.

With my current level, I shouldn’t even think about attempting it.

Ever since my past life, I’ve had a habit of fighting with ridiculous amounts of energy, so…

…finesse is hardly my strong suit to begin with.

‘This is something that guy is good at.’

‘That mad dog from the Wudang sect who showed interest in creating and manipulating seals.’

‘Something only a hidden dragon of Wudang might attempt.’

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue once and got to my feet.

The moment I stood up, I recalled the energy I had scattered in all directions.

Hooook!

A faint breeze blew as the energy returned to my body, and simultaneously, the flames engulfing the surroundings died down.

Although I didn’t gain the crucial justification I needed, it didn’t matter.

“If you don’t have justification, you just make it.”

What’s important is that he ultimately bared his fangs at me.

“I thought I gave him a pretty clean warning, you know.”

I must have told him what happens when you bare your fangs at the homeowner before I left.

The old fox apparently didn’t understand.

[‘Are you thinking of eliminating that old man?’]

I had to give Noyaa’s question some serious thought.

“I wanted to keep him alive until at least the year after next… but if he acts like this, I can’t help it.”

Whatever he did there, as long as it stayed within cute limits, I was prepared to overlook it.

If he had crossed further and only targeted me in this situation, I might have still let it slide.

‘But this crossed that line. Elder Il.’

Seeing him mess with Namgung Bi-ah made it impossible for me to just let it slide.

[‘…So, you’re saying you were going to let it slide, but you can’t overlook him messing with my wife? Is that it?’]

‘Why does my reason for intervening – him messing with people around me – turn into that?’

[‘You’re not denying the ‘wife’ part, you damn bastard.’]

No matter what I said, he’d just twist my words and curse at me, so I decided to ignore it.

I casually brushed the dust off my body and scanned the surroundings.

‘At this point, even monsters wouldn’t eat this.’

The blackened chunks of flesh were so charred that even monsters would pass them by.

I recalled the energy signatures I’d spread around just in case, and started preparing to head back to the campsite quickly. Just then…

…I sensed someone approaching from behind.

“Ah.”

I looked, and it was Namgung Bi-ah, who had gone down to the campsite earlier.

She said she’d be back, and it seems she really did return.

Seeing Namgung Bi-ah, I spoke curtly.

“Why are you here? I was just about to leave.”

At my words, Namgung Bi-ah just panted quietly, offering no reply.

She must have come in quite a hurry; Namgung Bi-ah’s hair, which had been neatly styled by the attendants earlier that day, was now a mess.

Moreover, seeing the leaves stuck in her hair…

…reminded me of when we first met.

‘Did she rush here?’

As I thought that, Namgung Bi-ah asked me.

“…Are… you okay?”

I nodded at Namgung Bi-ah’s question.

Doesn’t it look like I’m perfectly fine, without a single scratch?

“It’s been a while since I was the type to get beaten up.”

I said it jokingly, but Namgung Bi-ah, seemingly unconvinced, approached me and started poking me here and there.

“Ah, what are you doing?”

“…You might… be hurt.”

“I’m fine. You were the one I told to go and stand guard.”

Besides, if you’re checking if I’m hurt, why are you poking me?

As I subtly created some distance, Namgung Bi-ah averted her gaze slightly and replied.

“Nothing… happened.”

That’s a relief.

After all, I was confident the target wasn’t the campsite itself.

‘As expected, the goal wasn’t assassination.’

There were too many things that didn’t fit if it were assassination.

First, their level was too low for an assassination.

If they had followed me all the way from Hanam…

…they should have had information about what I did at the martial arts tournament.

They shouldn’t have prepared members only at the second or first-rate level.

Of course, they seemed skilled in tailing someone, but that’s different from assassination.

If it were for a surprise attack rather than tailing, they should have made much more preparation.

‘They probably didn’t expect me or Namgung Bi-ah to notice, but…’

Even setting me aside, it was surprising that Namgung Bi-ah noticed this.

I couldn’t easily understand how Namgung Bi-ah had noticed this on her own.

“How did you realize it wasn’t Mu-yeon?”

“Huh…?”

“It’s amazing how you could so firmly say it wasn’t him.”

Not only the clothes they wore, but their appearance and presence were identical.

The energy within their bodies could be different, but that’s something you can’t judge without physically touching them, or unless you’ve reached a transcendent level.

In response to my question, Namgung Bi-ah darted her jade-like eyes around.

“The smell was different.”

She replied.

‘Smell…?’

Her answer was so out of the blue that I looked at Namgung Bi-ah, but she was looking around, not at me.

She glanced at the blackened world, then at the ones who had died by my hand, before finally shifting her gaze towards me.

Though her eyes seemed emotionless at first glance, there was a subtle trace of emotion within them.

It was too faint to discern what it meant, though.

“It’s cold.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly?

“Let’s go down now.”

Namgung Bi-ah approached me and took my hand, pulling me along.

I was momentarily taken aback by the sudden touch, but I didn’t resist.

“Where are we going?”

At my words, Namgung Bi-ah stopped walking.

“…Somewhere with people…?”

Seeing Namgung Bi-ah answer so confidently, as if asking the obvious, I let out a sigh.

“…Then we should go in the opposite direction, you idiot.”

“…Ah!”

The moment she heard me, Namgung Bi-ah changed direction.

The problem was, she was still heading in the wrong direction, so in the end, I grabbed her and led her in the opposite direction towards the campsite.

---

“Young Master!”

Upon returning to the campsite, Wi Seol-ah rushed over and hugged me.

She hugged me with such urgency that I had to catch her carefully, worried she might get hurt.

“Are you okay…?”

“As you can see.”

Holding Wi Seol-ah, I surveyed the surroundings.

I was checking just in case something had happened, but thankfully, as expected, there seemed to be no issues.

Only, the security had become much stricter than before.

‘Namgung Bi-ah probably told them.’

I could feel the heightened senses of not only the Tang family’s martial artists but also those assigned as my guards.

As I observed this, Tang Soyeol, who was standing a distance away, seemed to spot me and approached.

“Young Master Gu. I heard you were attacked… Are you alright?”

“It wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation. Everything alright on your end too?”

“Yes, I only heard about it. No problems. By any chance… those who attacked you…”

“I killed them all. Trying to interrogate them was difficult because of the seals.”

As I stated calmly that I killed them, I saw those nearby flinch in surprise.

Since I looked young, it seemed somewhat awkward for them that I had taken lives.

“…Oh dear.”

Then Tang Soyeol frowned slightly, looking troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

“If I had been there, it would have been easier… What a shame. Next time, please bring them alive if you can subdue them.”

“…And what would you do if I brought them?”

“Huh?”

I asked again, finding his words strange, but Tang Soyeol just offered a bright smile.

“Oh my… Why are you asking such a thing! It’s a secret… a secret.”

His shy laughter while smiling seemed strangely unsettling.

Since Tang Soyeol insisted it was a secret, I couldn’t ask further.

‘…Maybe it’s because we’ve been together for a while? I’d forgotten which family Tang Soyeol belonged to.’

The Sa Cheon Tang Clan, one of the Four Great Families.

A prestigious orthodox sect renowned for handling poison and iron.

Furthermore, it was a place more specialized than any other in espionage and torture.

The world claims such customs disappeared with the advent of an era of peace, but…

…any martial artist living today knows that’s not the case.

Even the things Tang Soyeol’s older brother, the Young Master of the Tang Clan, does secretly ‘for peace’ are mostly inhuman, despite the name ‘peace.’

‘…Is Tang Soyeol like that too?’

I didn’t know much in my past life, but the thought of Tang Soyeol being involved in that side of things now felt incongruous.

I ignored Tang Soyeol, who was chewing on some unknown leaf with a look of regret.

As I pondered how to proceed with the journey ahead…

“Young Master…!”

“Hm?”

Mu-yeon rushed towards me urgently.

It was the real Mu-yeon, not the fake one.

Seureung-!

As Mu-yeon appeared at the campsite and approached, the people nearby immediately drew their swords and took a defensive stance.

Likely due to Namgung Bi-ah’s prior explanation, they seemed to be on guard.

“…!”

Mu-yeon looked genuinely flustered by the sudden situation.

I approached Mu-yeon nonchalantly.

“Young Master, just a moment…!”

A guard taking a defensive stance tried to stop me, as if I were in danger, but I reached Mu-yeon before the guard could grab me.

Fortunately, Mu-yeon didn’t seem to have been attacked separately like Namgung Bi-ah.

I asked Mu-yeon.

“Where were you?”

“Yes?”

Mu-yeon wore an expression of incomprehension at my words.

Why was he making that face?

As I continued to stare, demanding an answer, Mu-yeon began to reply in a tone of confusion.

“You said you had something to tell me. You climbed the mountain with me, didn’t you?”

“Me?”

At Mu-yeon’s words, I frowned.

Of course, I hadn’t done that.

“Yes… But then you told me to wait a moment, disappeared, and never reappeared… so I went looking for you.”

“Ha.”

Mu-yeon’s words made me burst out laughing involuntarily.

Now I finally had a slight grasp on why Elder Il bothered with such antics.

“Wow, this crazy old geezer.”

“Young Master?”

The fact that something resembling me had separated Mu-yeon…

…the reason it tried to do something foolish to me while wearing Mu-yeon’s guise…

…and why they deliberately launched an attack on Namgung Bi-ah with a guaranteed chance of failure…

As I began to understand why such methods were used, a bitter taste rose in my mouth.

Perhaps the goal was to slowly isolate me, centering on suspicion from those around me.

If this prediction is correct, Elder Il was a far more malicious old man than I anticipated.

At the same time, I felt a sense of relief.

The tiny bit of hesitation I had been holding onto had vanished.

“I have to kill him.”

An old dog that bares its teeth at its master without knowing its place should be disciplined severely.