Chapter v13c18

**Where is Eun Seol-ran?**

**10 PM, Near the Entrance to Heavenly Martial Peak, Huayin County, Shaanxi Province**

It was a miracle that they had descended the treacherous Heavenly Martial Peak in such a short time, with only the crescent moon as their guide.

No one would believe it if they recorded it. A few of them had even tripped over tree roots and tumbled down the slope. But they couldn’t afford to rest, even though they were exhausted from their rapid descent. After catching their breath, the rescue team headed straight for the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn, where Eun Seol-ran was supposedly being held. Or rather, they tried to. But there was a matter they had to address first.

“Release her!”

Bi Ryu-yeon ordered. Yeomdo gently lowered Seok Ryu-ha to the ground and released her acupoints.

Seok Ryu-ha, who had never experienced such treatment before, glared at them with icy eyes.

“Would you care to explain what’s going on?”

Her voice was frigid. She had been treated like a sack of potatoes. It was probably the first time she had been treated so poorly. Her anger was understandable.

Bi Ryu-yeon pondered for a moment. There were two ways to handle this situation.

Threaten or persuade!

Threats were best delivered with a fist, and persuasion with words. Of course, there were times when a fist could be persuasive, but it wasn’t appropriate in this situation.

The decision was easy.

He could have threatened her if she were a man, but he couldn’t use such a brutal method on a beautiful woman. It would be effective, but… The decision had already been made before he even considered it.

The needle in his mind swung from “threaten” to “persuade.”

The only question left was “how?” He looked at Mo Yong-hwi.

‘This might work!’

He thought.

“Please forgive our rudeness, Miss Seok.”

Mo Yong-hwi apologized politely. His words were effective, perhaps because of his refined manners and noble aura.

Handsome, skilled, intelligent, well-educated, and from a prestigious family. He was practically perfect, a man whose very existence seemed unfair. His words carried weight, and he had a persuasive aura.

That’s why Bi Ryu-yeon was using him. It was a way to set the mood.

“I don’t want an apology. I want an explanation.”

Seok Ryu-ha’s cold gaze swept over them.

“We need your help.”

“Help?”

“Yes, we desperately need your help.”

Yes, yes!

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded inwardly.

They needed her help, her silence.

“Is it a trend these days to kidnap people you need help from?”

Her tongue was sharper than her sword.

“We apologize for our actions. It was an emergency, and we had no other choice.”

“…”

She didn’t answer. Mo Yong-hwi persisted.

“We need your help, Miss Seok.”

“Why should I help the Cheonmu Academy? What reason do I have to help the people who put me in this situation?”

Her voice was quiet, but it carried a chilling coldness. Of course, she had every right to be angry. She had been practically kidnapped.

“This isn’t a Cheonmu Academy matter. It’s a Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion matter.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not the ones who need your help. It’s someone from the Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion.”

“That’s absurd! Are you mocking me?”

Seok Ryu-ha protested.

“But it’s true. That person is being held captive somewhere, and they need our help. We want to rescue them from the clutches of evil.”

“W-Who is it?”

Seok Ryu-ha’s voice softened, sensing the sincerity in Mo Yong-hwi’s tone.

“It’s Lady Eun Seol-ran, one of the Four Flowers.”

Seok Ryu-ha’s eyes widened in shock.

“Sister Seol-ran has been kidnapped? What are you talking about?”

Her reaction was more intense than they had expected.

“Do you know her?”

Mo Yong-hwi asked.

“Of course I do. She’s one of my closest friends. I couldn’t not know her. We’re both part of the Four Flowers.”

“I see.”

Mo Yong-hwi nodded in understanding.

“But how did Sister Ran end up here?”

“We don’t know the details. All we know is that her attendant risked his life to inform us of her kidnapping, so we came to help.”

Mo Yong-hwi explained the situation.

**11 PM, Deep Inside the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn**

“What? She’s not there?”

A dark figure nodded.

“And you?”

Another figure shook their head. They hadn’t found any trace of her either.

“What’s suspicious about this inn?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked.

“It’s a well-established inn. They have close ties to the Mount Hua Sect.”

Yoon Jun-ho shared the information he had gathered.

“What should we do now?”

Namgung Sang asked in a low voice.

(TLN: Iam not sure why its all over the place tbh)

**10 PM, In Front of the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn**

As they had heard, the security at the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn was tight. More precisely, the security around the goods belonging to the Central Plains Escort Agency was tight.

“What the hell? Are they carrying gold bars or something? Why are they so on edge?”

Yeomdo grumbled, his face grim.

Guards, armed with weapons, were stationed all around the inn, patrolling in pairs. Bonfires blazed, driving away the darkness. But there were surprisingly few bonfires near the carts.

“I don’t know… But it’s definitely suspicious.”

Too much of anything was suspicious.

“Something’s fishy.”

The excessive security was enough to attract attention.

“We’ll find out if we take a closer look. Let’s infiltrate.’

**11 PM, Deep Inside the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn**

They couldn’t find any trace of Eun Seol-ran.

Fortunately, they hadn’t been caught. But they had searched every nook and cranny, and she was nowhere to be found.

The reason they were sure she wasn’t there was that the security inside the inn wasn’t that tight. There would be guards watching over a hostage. But they hadn’t found any such place. No guards meant no hostage.

They were suspicious, but they had no concrete evidence. They were stuck in a dilemma. And time was running out.

“Did we make a mistake?”

Jang Hong looked anxious.

“Even if she was taken from here, they wouldn’t necessarily keep her here. And as far as I know, inns are good for sleeping, but not for holding hostages!”

Bi Ryu-yeon agreed. He didn’t hesitate.

“She’s probably not here! But just in case, let’s do a final check!”

His final check was a bit rough.

“Please spare me! Please spare me!”

The captured man cried out, his face contorted in fear. His voice was so loud that the others frowned. Of course, Yeomdo had created a sound barrier using his energy – he wanted to show off that he could do it too, not just Binggeom – so there was no risk of their voices being heard, but it was still annoying.

Bi Ryu-yeon quickly covered the man’s mouth and whispered in his ear,

“Be quiet. You’re making me want to rip your mouth off!”

His voice was low and soft, but his words were menacing.

The man shuddered and fell silent. Sincerity always got through.

“Good. You’re a good boy.”

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded, a satisfied smile on his lips.

“Before I ask you anything, let me give you some advice! I have a bit of a temper. I hate liars. I really, really hate them. Do you understand why I’m warning you?”

The man shook his head, shivering as he felt the cold blade of Yeomdo’s saber against his cheek. Cold sweat drenched his body. Yeomdo continued in a gentle voice,

“I like you. That’s why I don’t want to cut your promising future short!”

He lightly grazed the man’s cheek with his saber. A thin line of blood trickled down his face. The man was so scared that he almost peed his pants.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The man nodded frantically.

“Come on, stop messing around. We’ve already killed six people today. I’m getting tired of killing. Let’s just gouge out your eyes, destroy your eardrums, cut out your tongue, and sever the muscles in your limbs. That’s merciful enough!”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s words, spoken casually, were even more terrifying. Even the others, who knew he was bluffing, felt a shiver run down their spines. The man’s face turned black, then blue, then white. It seemed to be working.

“I’ll ask you again. Do you know where the young lady who was brought here yesterday is being held?”

Yeomdo asked.

“I don’t know! I really don’t know!”

“You’d remember if she was a beauty, wouldn’t you?”

Yeomdo seemed to agree.

“A young lady? A beauty? I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

The man cried out.

“Is he telling the truth?”

Namgung Sang asked Yeomdo. The man before them was an escort from the Central Plains Escort Agency, who had been captured while he was on his way to the latrine. His eyes were covered with a black cloth. Bi Ryu-yeon knew that it was best to keep his face hidden.

“Who knows what’s in a man’s heart!”

Even if he was lying, they had no way of knowing.

“Maybe we should rough him up a bit more, just in case he’s lying?”

The man’s face paled at Yeomdo’s words.

“Good idea! Let’s start by gouging out his eyes. We can’t cut out his tongue, or he won’t be able to talk.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a grin.

His acting was so convincing that they almost believed him.

“Excellent idea!”

The man’s teeth chattered, his face as white as a sheet.

“Is he telling the truth?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked Na Yerin.

Dragon Eyes!

She had them.

“P-Please spare me! I have two children and a wife waiting for me at home. I’ll tell you everything I know. Please have mercy!”

The man pleaded.

Bi Ryu-yeon and Na Yerin exchanged glances. She shook her head!

He was lying. Few could deceive her Dragon Eyes.

Bi Ryu-yeon was furious. Yeomdo acted on his anger, grabbing the man by the collar.

“Oh? You dare lie to me? You have a death wish! Not that I have any intention of showing you mercy. Why don’t you tell me what you lied about? Or maybe we should start by counting your eyeballs!”

But the man was telling the truth. He had told them everything he knew. He had been a loyal traitor and informant. Except for one thing.

“I-It’s true! I want to live! Why would I lie when my life is on the line? My salary doesn’t include a loyalty bonus! Please believe me!”

The man cried out. He was being accused of lying for no reason. It was unfair. But Bi Ryu-yeon shook his head ruthlessly.

“No! You lied. Tell me what you lied about.”

“I-It’s true! I only told you the truth!”

The man shouted, his face covered in tears and snot.

“Liar!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said firmly.

The man finally realized that Bi Ryu-yeon knew he was lying. But what had he lied about? He had told them everything he knew…

Wait a minute!

His face suddenly turned ashen, as if he had been doused with ice water.

‘H-How did he know?’

He had lied about one thing. The man before him, his presence as imposing as a wall, his killing intent suffocating, wouldn’t tolerate lies.

He finally gave up.

“Y-Yes, it’s true… Sob, sob, sob!”

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Actually… besides my wife, I have another child with a courtesan named Chun-wol. The reason I joined this mission was… Sob, sob, sob! I’m a terrible person! Waaah!”

They quickly covered his mouth before he could start wailing. They could taste the salt of his tears.

Bi Ryu-yeon looked at Na Yerin again.

They all looked at the man with bewildered expressions, surprised by his sudden confession.

Na Yerin nodded slightly. He was telling the truth.

It was useless information, a piece of gossip that was only useful for blackmailing someone.

“We wasted our time.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said casually. The others nodded in agreement.

The pointless confession was over.

The man continued to weep, but they were in a hurry. They had wasted enough time.