Chapter v13c21

**Nightmare**

Ho-cheol was a low-ranking warrior.

He was a low-ranking warrior who only knew how to follow orders.

Moreover, he was the lowest-ranking among those on duty. He grumbled inwardly, but he could never express his dissatisfaction outwardly.

Suddenly, the sliding door of the room he was guarding burst open, and something flew out. It crashed against the wall, shattering into a thousand pieces.

‘Again?’ he grumbled inwardly.

He heard a roar from inside the room, “Bring me wine!”

Again, he was the lowest-ranking person here. Several annoyed gazes fell upon him.

Ho-cheol was a low-ranking warrior. So he diligently ran towards the kitchen.

But there was a problem. The kitchen was out of wine. He knew who the culprit was without asking.

“Tsk!”

He grumbled aloud. There was no one here, so it didn’t matter if he complained.

If he wanted to keep his body intact, he had to bring the wine as quickly as possible. He knew this from experience.

He grabbed a handful of dried meat from a corner of the kitchen and stuffed it into his pocket. Then he popped a cold dumpling into his mouth and ran towards the wine cellar.

The wine cellar was located deep in the backyard.

* * *

The room was luxurious. And a strange scent lingered in the air.

‘What’s that smell?’

He looked around the room.

It was spacious and opulent.

It was a strange place to hold a hostage. He couldn’t understand why they needed such a luxurious room to confine a single woman.

Mo Yong-hwi approached a curtained bed in a corner of the room.

Gulp!

He nervously pulled back the curtain.

“Gasp!”

He gasped, his heart skipping a beat.

She was there.

The woman was lying on the bed, her eyes closed, her breathing soft and even. Her beauty was breathtaking, her face as delicate as a porcelain doll. Her long, black hair cascaded down the pillow like a silken waterfall. Her neck, white and slender, was exposed above the collar of her robe. Mo Yong-hwi’s gaze was drawn to it, his heart pounding.

It was definitely Eun Seol-ran. She was as still as if she were in an eternal slumber.

A wave of anxiety washed over him, and he quickly checked her pulse, then her carotid artery. He felt the steady thrum of life beneath his fingertips.

“Sister Ran!”

Seok Ryu-ha pushed past the others and rushed to Eun Seol-ran’s side, embracing her. She examined her carefully, her eyes serious. She called Eun Seol-ran’s name several times, trying to wake her up, but the beauty remained asleep.

After a moment, Seok Ryu-ha said in a calm voice,

“She seems to be exhausted. Fortunately, there are no external injuries. And it doesn’t seem like she was harmed or humiliated in any way. She’s just asleep. I checked her pulse, and it doesn’t seem like her acupoints were sealed. I suspect they drugged her. It was probably a safety measure.”

Mo Yong-hwi and the others finally sighed in relief. She was safe. All they had to do now was escape.

* * *

Ho-cheol was a low-ranking warrior.

He was the lowest-ranking among his peers. And he wanted to climb the ranks. It was only natural. To rise in rank, he had to distinguish himself. And finally, an opportunity had presented itself.

The door to that room was wide open in the middle of the night. And the two guards who were supposed to be guarding it were standing there like statues. He knew those guards. They were his seniors, much higher in rank than him.

Mistakes lead to demotion! The equation flashed through his mind.

There would be vacancies. And vacancies had to be filled. Usually, they were filled from the bottom up. In other words, his chances of promotion had increased significantly. There was no reason to hesitate.

But he hesitated for a moment, his arms full of wine bottles.

He imagined the consequences of failing to deliver the wine. It wasn’t a pleasant thought.

And if he ignored this incident? He would be demoted, or worse, executed. His decision was made.

He carefully placed the wine bottles on the ground.

One, two, three… and four!

He ran towards a specific location. There was an alarm bell there, a red string that would lead him to promotion.

He grabbed the string and pulled it with all his might.

The alarm bell rang, its sound shattering the silence of the night. It was a beautiful sound, a symphony of his impending promotion.

He took a deep breath and shouted,

“Intruders! Intruders!”

His voice, loud and clear, echoed through the cold night air, announcing his discovery.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The alarm bell continued to ring, its sound piercing the night sky.

The rescue team was startled by the noise. They hadn’t even left the room yet.

They didn’t have time to think about how they had been discovered.

“Damn it!”

Jang Hong cursed. Dokgo Ryeong’s face was contorted in a grimace. Yi Jin-seol paced back and forth, her face pale with anxiety.

Someone gently placed their hands on her shoulders. She turned around and saw Hyo-ryong. His eyes seemed to be saying, “Don’t worry, trust me, I’ll protect you.” He wasn’t fully conscious yet, but Yi Jin-seol was overjoyed. She felt a warmth spreading through her heart. She calmed down, her anxiety fading.

Seok Ryu-ha looked at Na Yerin. What would she do? She seemed calm, her composure unshaken by the situation.

Seok Ryu-ha took a deep breath, calming her mind and focusing her energy. She couldn’t panic, not when Na Yerin was so calm.

“Well, well! I wanted to keep this quiet… but it seems the circumstances aren’t in our favor.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said nonchalantly, as if he were annoyed by the inconvenience.

The shouts of “Intruders! Intruders!” continued to echo from outside the room. The message had been delivered, and they wished the noise would stop.

“There’s no helping it now. Let’s be bold. We came in like thieves, but we’ll leave through the front door.”

They were the ones who had kidnapped Eun Seol-ran. They didn’t know why, but they were definitely the bad guys. There was no need to show them any mercy.

“We should cover our faces first.”

They were supposed to be nonexistent. They couldn’t have faces. And there was no benefit to revealing their identities.

They covered their faces with cloths and sashes. It was enough.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

“What’s going on?”

One of the one-armed old men shouted, his voice laced with irritation.

He was grumpy from lack of sleep, his nerves on edge. And the wine he had ordered hadn’t arrived yet, adding to his frustration.

“Sir, it seems we have intruders.”

A subordinate reported.

“Intruders?”

How did they find this place?

It was an ordinary manor, at least on the surface. And most ordinary people judged things by their appearance.

“Are they thieves?”

It was a fairly large manor, so it wasn’t impossible that some daring thieves had decided to pay them a visit. But his subordinate’s report shattered that assumption.

“It seems they’re after the woman we captured yesterday.”

“What?”

He remembered the woman, of course. She was a beauty, so she was memorable. He had been ordered to treat her well. He didn’t know her identity. He had only been given a name. An absolute order that he couldn’t disobey! He was a mere servant, bound to obey.

“There are a lot of rats these days!”

He had tried to kill a rat yesterday. He had been escorting his master.

‘He was quite skilled…’

He remembered the rat who had dodged his sword and escaped.

The blood on his treasured sword, Ghost Cry, hadn’t dried yet. He had felt something, but he had avoided a fatal blow. He had heard that the hunt had failed. That meant the rat was still alive.

Was this rat one of his companions?

“Damn it, intruders while he’s still here…”

This wasn’t going to end quietly. He couldn’t face his master if this got out of hand.

“Alright! I can’t sleep anyway! I’ll take care of this myself.”

“Me too!”

The fat old man chimed in.

“Yes, sir!”

Maybe they would be able to sleep after some exercise. The two old men thought the same thing. They might get some blood on their clothes, but they could always wash it off.

The thin old man grabbed his treasured sword, “Demon Sword Ghost Cry.” It was the twin of Ghost Soul, the sword he had lost. The fat old man grabbed his treasured saber, Netherworld Saber. He had almost lost it once, but fortunately, it hadn’t come to that.

They left the room, their hearts light.

It was a noisy night.

**2 AM, A Room in the Backyard of Peace Manor**

“You carry her!”

“M-Me?”

Mo Yong-hwi stammered, flustered by Bi Ryu-yeon’s order.

“Don’t you want to? Should I ask someone else?”

Mo Yong-hwi hesitated for a moment, his face flushing even in this urgent situation.

It was inefficient to ask a woman to do this. Of course, women in the martial world were different, but common sense held him back. It felt wrong. Perhaps it was the result of years of social conditioning. In any case, women were excluded from consideration.

The men, on the other hand, were eager to volunteer. Wu Gai was even willing to challenge Noh Hak, his senior, for the opportunity. But he didn’t dare to step forward. He knew Noh Hak wouldn’t back down.

Namgung Sang started to volunteer, “I-I’ll…” but he quickly withdrew his offer when he saw Jin-ryeong’s glare. Her eyes, sharp as axe blades, were filled with a determination to punish any impure thoughts. It was enough to make Namgung Sang cower.

Jang Hong was tempted, but he seemed to be holding back, afraid of the consequences. Yoon Jun-ho, being timid, didn’t even dare to join the competition.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to carry Eun Seol-ran, the Flower Amidst Evil, the strongest of the Four Flowers. The competition was fierce. But they were all hesitant for various reasons. A strange, delicate balance had been struck.

They all looked at Bi Ryu-yeon, as if he held the power to decide. A strange tension filled the room.

‘Why are they so nervous?’

Seok Ryu-ha, frustrated by their silent struggle, was about to offer to carry Eun Seol-ran herself, but she sensed that they wouldn’t allow it.

What was this strange guilt he felt? Mo Yong-hwi realized that he was acting like a nervous teenager. But it was time to make a decision. And to be brave.

“A-Alright! I’ll carry her!”

He said, mustering all his courage. Bi Ryu-yeon nodded. The decision was made. Sighs of disappointment filled the air.

“She’s a precious lady, so make sure she’s safe and comfortable. A princess shouldn’t suffer because of poor escorting. You’re in charge of her safety from now on!”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s voice was serious.

“I swear on my sword, my honor, and my life!”

Mo Yong-hwi replied, his eyes shining with determination.

He felt a soft, warm weight pressing against his back, and his heart skipped a beat. Her curves were pressed against him, her scent, a mixture of sweet perfume and camellia, filling his senses.

It smelled so good…

He had never smelled anything so soft and comforting before. It was like being embraced by nature.

‘No, no! Focus! Focus!’

He shook his head, trying to compose himself.

The mission wasn’t over yet. He couldn’t let his guard down! He would be stabbed in the back if he got distracted.

His sword was now responsible for two lives. There was no room for error.

**2 AM, Guest Room in Peace Manor**

“What’s going on?”

A young man with strikingly handsome features asked in a calm voice. He had been enjoying the quiet of the night, sipping tea, when a loud alarm rang out, and the entire manor erupted in chaos.

His voice was gentle, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

“I-I apologize. It seems we have intruders.”

A middle-aged man was kneeling before him. He was currently posing as the owner of Peace Manor. It went without saying that the owner was the highest-ranking person in the manor. But the middle-aged man was treating the young man with the utmost respect.

“Intruders?”

The young man pondered the implications of that word.

‘Could it be…?’

He thought of a certain woman. And then another thought occurred to him.

‘How did they find this place? Did I make a mistake?’

It was impossible. He had been careful. There couldn’t be any loose ends. He was sure of it. Did they find this place on their own?

‘It seems there’s someone competent among them.’

He had to acknowledge their skills. But he couldn’t return the flower. He thought of her face.

‘She would be happier not knowing the truth… Why does she seek it?’

His eyes darkened.

He had confirmed that she didn’t know anything important. The old man’s Soul Summoning Technique was useful for such things. Eun Seol-ran had resisted, but she couldn’t withstand the old man’s gaze. The interrogation was complete, but he couldn’t let his guard down. He couldn’t let her go.

“So what’s the situation?”

The damage was done. There was no point in dwelling on it. But he had to clean up the mess.

“Sir, the two elders have taken care of it.”

The two elders were higher in rank than him, but lower than the young man, so he didn’t use honorifics.

“Then I can trust them.”

The elders were involved, so the situation would be resolved soon.

What if the two elders were defeated?

He chuckled inwardly.

That would only be possible if the entire leadership of the Mount Hua Sect attacked them.

But that was impossible.

But what was this nagging anxiety he felt?

A premonition, a sense of foreboding, gnawed at his intuition.

‘Just in case…’

It was a hassle, and probably unnecessary, but he had to be prepared for any eventuality.