Chapter v14c7

**Time Limit!**

**- Bi Ryu-yeon, Late for His Appointment**

The commotion in the middle of the night, the fiery spectacle, couldn’t have gone unnoticed by the townspeople. And one civic-minded citizen, his sense of duty burning bright, rushed to the county office to report the incident.

He even claimed to have heard the clash of weapons. They couldn’t ignore such a report, especially since he was the night watchman on duty.

‘Damn it!’

There was always something happening on his shift, some random event to ruin his night.

“Robbers?”

They knew the place, Peace Manor, a large estate on the outskirts of town. And the county magistrate was a close friend of the manor’s owner, so they couldn’t afford to be negligent.

Yi Chil, the constable, and his partner, Sang-gu, raced down the main street, followed by twelve of their men. They were all grumpy, having been woken up from their sleep.

‘If you guys are complaining, imagine how I feel!’

He thought to himself, pushing his fatigue aside.

Plop!

Something warm landed on his cheek.

“What the… ?”

B-Bird droppings?

Had an insomniac pigeon flown overhead? It was bad enough that he had been assigned to the night shift, and now this… It seemed like he was having a bad day.

He wiped his cheek absently, then froze. The texture was wrong. And it was something he knew all too well.

He held his hand up to the lantern light.

It was blood.

“Where did this come from?”

It was a mystery.

Yi Chil, with his weak martial arts skills, had no idea that a shadow had passed overhead, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, as swift and silent as a bird.

**Western Peak Branch of the Beggars’ Sect, Shaanxi Province**

“He’s late!”

Yeomdo paced back and forth, his anxiety growing. Bi Ryu-yeon was late. He should have been here by now. But they had been waiting for a while, and there was still no sign of him.

“Late! Late! Late!”

Time was their greatest enemy. Dawn was approaching. Would they make it back in time? They had no excuse if they missed the morning roll call. Unauthorized absence? It wouldn’t look good. They had less than an hour left.

Dokgo Ryeong circled Na Yerin cautiously, keeping her distance. It was as if an invisible barrier prevented her from getting too close. It was better to give her some space than to force her way in.

‘Why is she so anxious?’

Dokgo Ryeong couldn’t understand. She had a suspicion, a wild guess, but she didn’t dare to voice it.

Yi Jin-seol, usually cheerful and talkative, was also watching Na Yerin with a worried expression, keeping a respectful distance. Hyo-ryong, who had finally regained consciousness, stood silently behind her, as if guarding her. No one spoke.

The atmosphere was more relaxed where Namgung Sang, Jin-ryeong, and Noh Hak, the three members of the Vermillion Bird Squad, were gathered. They had seen more of Bi Ryu-yeon’s hidden side than anyone else, except for Yeomdo. They were loyal to their senior brother’s teachings, always eager to put them into practice.

Perhaps their experiences had taught them to be patient.

“Hey, want to bet on whether Senior Brother will show up or not?”

Noh Hak asked. But he was met with a barrage of glares.

“That’s not a fair bet!”

Namgung Sang and Jin-ryeong shouted in unison. They weren’t criticizing him for being immoral or unethical. It was simply a bad bet.

“But what if… just in case… he doesn’t come back? What should we do?”

Namgung Sang asked cautiously.

“That would be a big problem.”

“Yes, yes! He’s our senior brother, after all. It would be a disaster if he didn’t come back.”

Jin-ryeong nodded in agreement.

“It would be great! We wouldn’t have to deal with his nagging and bullying… It would be a blessing!”

Noh Hak said, nodding enthusiastically. There was a strange energy in his voice.

“If anything happens to Senior Brother… Grrr! I’ll tear those bastards limb from limb and leave them to rot for forty-nine days! Grrr!”

Noh Hak shouted, his voice filled with passion.

“Hey, hey! Noh Hak! You’re saying all the right things, but you’re smiling.”

Namgung Sang thought it was important to maintain discipline, even in their senior brother’s absence.

“Ahem! …D-Did I…?”

It seemed like he couldn’t hide his true feelings. Noh Hak reflected on his actions.

A brief silence.

“…But wouldn’t it be nice if he didn’t come back?”

Namgung Sang muttered, his voice almost a prayer. They all nodded in agreement.

“What did I do?”

They turned around, their movements so sudden that they almost snapped their necks.

Their eyes widened in horror. Their senior brother, the object of their fear, was standing there, as if he had materialized out of thin air.

He smiled, a chilling smile that sent shivers down their spines.

“H-How long have you been there…?”

Namgung Sang stammered, his teeth chattering.

“Hmm… I wonder…”

His smile widened, and the three Vermillion Bird Squad members felt a cold dread creeping up their spines.

‘He might kill us…’

They all thought the same thing.

‘He approached us undetected, with so many people around?’

Seok Ryu-ha couldn’t believe it. And she was even more surprised that the others didn’t seem that shocked.

“Why? Are you disappointed?”

Namgung Sang shook his head, his lips sealed.

“O-Of course not… Hehehe…”

He forced a laugh, a laugh that only someone who had lost their soul could produce.

“You need to work on your poker face!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said helpfully.

Namgung Sang nodded frantically, his forehead beaded with sweat. His mind was a jumbled mess of anxiety and confusion.

‘I need to change the subject…’

‘…Annihilation!’

Bi Ryu-yeon’s presence was so overwhelming that it had warped their collective consciousness.

Their survival instincts kicked in, and they desperately searched for an escape route, a way to change the subject.

Danger!

Their instincts screamed. They trembled, but the annihilation they feared didn’t come. Fortunately, the three core members of the Vermillion Bird Squad were saved from imminent death by a single woman.

“Ryu-yeon!”

Na Yerin shouted, her voice louder than she had ever heard it before. Dokgo Ryeong and Yi Jin-seol were equally surprised.

“Ah, Yerin! I’m back!”

Bi Ryu-yeon turned away from Namgung Sang, who had been frantically searching for an escape route, and smiled brightly at Na Yerin. She was standing beside him, as if she had always been there.

“…”

She nodded silently, her movement graceful and elegant, but slow and deliberate. Her gaze swept over him, taking in every detail.

Her eyes, calm and unreadable, lingered on a single drop of liquid that had fallen to the ground.

It was blood, dripping from his arm, tracing a path down his hand, and falling from his middle finger.

“Blood…”

“Huh?”

Her voice was so soft that he could barely hear her.

“…Ryu-yeon! Blood…”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was careless.”

He said casually, his voice as light and breezy as a spring wind. But his eyes, hidden behind his bangs, weren’t smiling.

“A wound? It’s been a while…”

She murmured, then raised his bleeding hand to her lips. A faint, metallic scent tickled her nose.

“It’s been a long time!”

The taste of blood filled her mouth, spreading to her brain.

“The price for spilling my sacred blood will be high!”

He muttered, a cold smile playing on his lips.

“But… this is troublesome.”

“…?”

Na Yerin’s eyes were filled with questions. He continued, his voice low,

“I was raised to hate being in debt. I like to be the one who owes, not the one who is owed. But today, I’ve incurred a debt. Hehehe!”

‘Should I have released the Dragon Seal after all…?’

But it was too late for regrets.

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Nothing at all… Nothing…”

He brushed it off, saving the explanation for another time.

“Stop!”

He said, his voice commanding.

“B-But… that’s not going to…”

Namgung Sang stopped mid-sentence. The bleeding from his chest had stopped, as if by magic.

‘How is that possible? He didn’t even seal his acupoints!’

It was common knowledge in the martial world that you could stop bleeding by sealing the acupoints around the wound. But he had never seen anyone stop bleeding with a word.

Yeomdo’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘He stopped the bleeding with a word… Could it be the legendary Heart Acupoint Sealing Technique?’

The Heart Acupoint Sealing Technique was the ability to seal or release one’s own acupoints with one’s mind. It was a stage where the mind controlled the body.

‘How many more secrets is he hiding?’

The mystery deepened.

Yeomdo cursed his own lack of skill. He wasn’t strong enough to see through Bi Ryu-yeon’s true strength.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell tolled, announcing the hour of 4 AM.

“Oh no!”

They had been so caught up in the moment that they had forgotten the most important thing.

“Morning roll call!!”

They still had a long way to go, and the mountain was steep and treacherous. They had to hurry.

“What should we do?”

Mo Yong-hwi asked. It was too late to take Eun Seol-ran to a safe place. And they had to be back at the Red Plum Valley by 5 AM, or they would face severe consequences.

“She’s too exposed, and the enemy is too strong. We can’t underestimate their hidden power. Is there a safe place nearby where we can hide her?”

And she was still unconscious! He was worried.

“Master?”

He asked, his voice pleading.

“There is one place!”

Bi Ryu-yeon answered, instead of Yeomdo, who was still pondering the situation. His smile made Mo Yong-hwi uneasy.

“Y-You don’t mean…? You!”

His eyes widened in horror.

“Yes! That’s right! I don’t know the details, but it’s probably the safest place around!”

“That’s crazy!”

Bi Ryu-yeon shook his head, his bangs swaying like a curtain.

“No! It’s the most logical choice!”

“Y-You don’t mean…!”

They all exclaimed in unison.

“You guys are pretty smart. That’s the place. They won’t be able to touch her there.”

He was right, in a way. But how?

“What do you think?”

He asked Yeomdo.

“You’re saying… we should take her to Heavenly Martial Peak?”

“Is there a safer and more logical place?”

He was right, but there was another problem. How would they explain her presence to the others?

‘Hmm…’

It was an indirect order, his way of giving Yeomdo instructions in front of others. Yeomdo thought for a moment, then turned to Bi Ryu-yeon.

“You have a plan, don’t you?”

Yeomdo knew that Bi Ryu-yeon was a cunning strategist. He wouldn’t have embarked on such a risky mission without a plan.

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded.

‘Alright! It’s all or nothing now! We’ve passed the point of no return. Let’s trust the master strategist!’

Yeomdo made the decision without consulting the others. He would face their wrath if things went wrong…

He nodded resolutely and stood up.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

They had no idea that the place they considered the safest might actually be the most dangerous.