Chapter 38
Chapter 38
“Can you show that to me?”
Pyo Inhaeng, after saying it, thought he sounded like someone greedily trying to snatch candy from a child. But if the “candy” looked that appetizing, he couldn't help but want it.
Even so, if Seo Mugyeom said he wouldn't reveal it, there wasn't much he could do.
‘No, that's not right. This guy is a warrior of the Divine Martial Sect. If he's learned martial arts from outside, it's something that can be severely punished by sect law. So, it’s only natural that I should find out first.’
Pyo Inhaeng convinced himself and nodded. Seo Mugyeom dismounted, unaware of what was going through Pyo Inhaeng's mind.
Seeing Seo Mugyeom dismount, Pyo Inhaeng also got off his horse.
“Shall I try it here, Captain? Though I’m not sure if it will work.”
With a tone of uncertainty, he recalled the sword forms he had executed earlier. Even though it was something he had done himself, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
As he performed the sword technique, his face turned curious, and at some point, he even began to smile. It seemed he found his own actions so bizarre and ridiculous.
But that expression while demonstrating the sword form left Pyo Inhaeng speechless.
Was this what it felt like to be struck on the back of the head by an immense force?
He was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t say a word.
He was utterly dumbfounded.
To think that he had a man like Seo Mugyeom under him—someone capable of such swordsmanship—yet had been scrambling to get martial arts manuals from the Sect Leader. It was ridiculous.
Until now, he had been proud of the solid martial arts he had practiced and trained diligently in.
But watching Seo Mugyeom’s sword moves, he felt that confidence crumble in an instant.
Seo Mugyeom's sword form was like a fabric made from the finest silk. In comparison, his own was like fabric made from ordinary silk. All this time, he'd been proud of a cotton outfit, but the moment he saw what Seo Mugyeom had, he felt utterly shabby.
After a while, Seo Mugyeom abruptly stopped his sword demonstration.
It was because he couldn't understand how he was even able to do it.
“This is really strange, Captain.”
“Yes. It would be.”
Everything that had happened at the site of Un Jongak's death was bizarre. Not a single thing was normal, and far too many were inexplicable.
But while watching Seo Mugyeom’s sword form, both men forgot all their other doubts. Seo Mugyeom’s technique was so astonishing that it completely overwhelmed everything else.
“Seo Mugyeom, can you teach this to me?”
Even though Seo Mugyeom was technically his subordinate, Pyo Inhaeng knew how embarrassing it was to ask such a thing. So, even someone like Pyo Inhaeng—who rarely felt embarrassed—had an awkward look on his face. But Seo Mugyeom readily agreed.
“If you become stronger, Captain, it's only better for me. I know you risked your life earlier trying to save me. I should have thanked you sooner. Truly, thank you, Captain.”
“I see. So you knew. You're right. I almost got in trouble trying to save you.”
Pyo Inhaeng smiled proudly.
As Seo Mugyeom began explaining what he had just performed, he was surprised all over again. He realized he already knew the formula for techniques he had never learned before.
He had a clear understanding in his mind of how to circulate his internal energy to enhance the technique's power.
Listening to Seo Mugyeom recite the formulas, Pyo Inhaeng found himself at a loss for words once again.
“Could you say that one more time?”
“Yes, Captain.”
It wasn't until Seo Mugyeom repeated it six times that Pyo Inhaeng finally nodded.
Even if he had memorized the formulas, controlling his internal energy accordingly wouldn't be easy.
From that moment on, Pyo Inhaeng felt like he was being drawn into an entirely new world.
Even as he rode toward the rest of the group, his thoughts seemed entirely consumed by the formulas.
“Captain, we should recover Un Jongak’s corpse. If you assign someone, I’ll go with them.”
Seo Mugyeom cautiously brought it up, and Pyo Inhaeng, as if realizing he had forgotten something important, nodded.
Indeed, leaving that body unattended was dangerous. Earlier, he had assumed the assassins had chased after Ak Seol-ah and the others, so he let it go, but now it was best to send someone to retrieve it.
Pyo Inhaeng spurred his horse and called for Ho Jo-yeong. Seeing him approach, several people had already turned their heads to look at him.
Ho Jo-yeong, having seen him, immediately rode over at Pyo Inhaeng’s gesture.
Receiving Pyo Inhaeng’s order, Ho Jo-yeong headed toward where Un Jongak’s body lay. Seo Mugyeom met Pyo Inhaeng’s eyes, then galloped alongside Ho Jo-yeong.
Time was of the essence.
Seo Mugyeom didn’t think the body would have disappeared that quickly, but one could never be too sure. Without wasting time on words, he rode swiftly beside Ho Jo-yeong.
Sensing the urgency, Ho Jo-yeong didn’t ask questions and pushed his horse to its limits.
When the two arrived at the location, Un Jongak’s corpse was still there.
Several birds, drawn by the scent of blood, had pecked at it, leaving some flesh torn.
Ho Jo-yeong frowned at the sight and drove the birds away angrily, but Seo Mugyeom remained indifferent.
“No need for that, Senior. Birds have to live, too. Besides, if this man hadn’t died, I would’ve.”
Seo Mugyeom then began searching the surroundings—for the hidden weapons Un Jongak had thrown at him.
Eventually, he found everything, including the concealed needle.
Finding such weapons wouldn’t have been easy for an ordinary person, but thanks to his deeply cultivated internal energy, it became possible.
Bringing the dagger to his nose, Seo Mugyeom sniffed it and frowned.
Ho Jo-yeong blankly watched what he was doing.
“Is it poison, Mugyeom?”
“Yes. Paehyeolsan.”
“You can identify Paehyeolsan just by its smell?”
Ho Jo-yeong was surprised by something he hadn’t even considered, and Seo Mugyeom realized it was only natural for him to know.
He had learned the scent of Paehyeolsan from his past life.
He used to think his previous life had been so pitiful that there was little to learn from it, but that wasn’t true. Living six years longer had taught him more than he expected.
“You should smell it too, Senior. It’s better not to ever see a weapon coated in Paehyeolsan, but who knows what could happen.”
Then he explained Paehyeolsan’s properties and even mentioned other poisons.
Ho Jo-yeong found it strange that Seo Mugyeom knew such things but naturally assumed that Captain Pyo must have taught him.
Since Pyo Inhaeng often spent time with Seo Mugyeom, it was a logical conclusion.
Doing as instructed, Ho Jo-yeong took a whiff and then shook his head, staring at Seo Mugyeom.
“Good thing you warned me ahead of time. If I hadn’t known what kind of person Vice Captain Un really was, we’d be in serious trouble.”
“Guess I was lucky. But I still don’t know who those people were.”
Seo Mugyeom said as he examined the sword wound on Un Jongak’s abdomen.
Ho Jo-yeong understood what he meant and looked at the wound, then shook his head, as if to say he couldn’t even imitate it.
“Let’s go for now, Senior. We can’t be sure if those people are truly gone.”
“Yes, Mugyeom.”
When Seo Mugyeom tried to load Un Jongak’s corpse onto his horse, Ho Jo-yeong stopped him.
“Leave this to me. It’s the least I can do. It wouldn’t feel right to do nothing while eating the same meals together.”
Seo Mugyeom said it wasn’t necessary, but Ho Jo-yeong was firm.
When they returned with the body, Ju Jirang rushed over in surprise.
Her expression suggested she had already been told something by Pyo Inhaeng.
“Warrior Seo, what happened? Why is Vice Captain Un…”
Seo Mugyeom looked ahead at Pyo Inhaeng riding on horseback.
He wasn’t sure how much had been explained.
But thinking Ju Jirang deserved to know, he told her everything that had happened.
That he was out on personal business when Un Jongak insisted on following. How Un Jongak deliberately fell behind. How, when he turned right, Un Jongak suddenly attacked.
Then, when he mentioned the unknown assassins who ambushed them and aided Un Jongak, Ju Jirang’s expression grew even more bewildered.
“Then in the chaos, one of the assassins’ swords pierced Un Jongak’s abdomen. If you want, you can check the corpse. I hope to identify the assassin through the wound.”
From that point, Seo Mugyeom no longer referred to Un Jongak as “Vice Captain.”
Ju Jirang nodded as if trying to suppress her shock.
She seemed to want to see the body.
The others’ horses and carriages continued moving at a steady pace. They had to reach their destination for the day to ensure their arrival at the Imperial City went as planned.
Ju Jirang looked at Un Jongak’s body but couldn’t glean anything significant.
“For now, I plan to inspect his belongings. Since he used poison on me, there may be more among his things. We must be cautious that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
There was no need to say this to Ju Jirang, but Seo Mugyeom explained anyway.
Both Ju Jirang and Ho Jo-yeong realized Seo Mugyeom was being considerate of her.
Ju Jirang had likely known Un Jongak the longest and may have felt closer to him than anyone else here. When someone dies, they are often remembered more fondly—their wrongdoings fade, and good memories rise.
Right now, Ju Jirang probably felt sad about Un Jongak’s death, no matter what was said. It could have been off-putting to Seo Mugyeom, but he understood and respected that feeling.
“I understand that Vice Captain Ju needs time. But Un Jongak doesn’t deserve mourning. He was not someone worthy of that. I hope your grief is not wasted on someone like him.”
Seo Mugyeom said this and left them.
He appeared to be heading to inspect Un Jongak’s belongings, while Ju Jirang stood still, staring at the corpse, her heart sinking.