Chapter 44
Chapter 44
“The Ak Clan Head won't sit still. He’ll say we failed the mission and let his daughter die.”
But he hadn’t said it because he was truly concerned about the Clan Head.
If he were the father, he’d wish for his daughter to live safely elsewhere—even if it had to be through something like this.
And once things calmed down and they reunited later, wouldn’t he be overjoyed as if his dead daughter had come back to life?
“Alright. Let’s go with that. We’ll polish the details a bit more. You two seem to work well together. Didn’t think you’d come up with something like this before.”
When Pyo Inhaeng spoke, Ho Jo-yeong grinned wide with a goofy smile.
Pyo Inhaeng squinted in irritation at the sight.
“Well then… we’ll be going now, Division Leader.”
Thankfully, Ju Jirang, who was quick-witted, nudged Ho Jo-yeong with her elbow and said their goodbye. Pyo Inhaeng waved them off.
From now on, he had a mountain of things to think about.
After hearing the plan from Ho Jo-yeong, Seo Mugyeom sat blankly for a while, trying to grasp what he had just heard.
Then, upon realizing that both Ho Jo-yeong and Ju Jirang—and even the Division Leader—had agreed to the idea, he was deeply moved.
Wasn’t he just a regular foot soldier of the Tenth Division? Who would’ve imagined that just because he liked Young Mistress Ak, they would go this far for him?
Seo Mugyeom and Ak Seol-ah had already been worried about what would happen after arriving at the Imperial City. But they had only comforted each other, never thinking anything could change.
Even when they said they hoped to meet again someday, they both knew how meaningless those words were.
So when Ho Jo-yeong told him the plan, he asked multiple times if it was really true.
Seeing Seo Mugyeom so happy, Ho Jo-yeong felt satisfied.
“What’s got you so shocked, Mugyeom? Did you think we’d just watch you mope around?”
“No, Senior. I’ve always trusted you.”
“You brat. At least wet your lips before spouting such lines.”
Ho Jo-yeong let out a sigh after speaking.
“There’s a lot to do now. First, we have to fool a lot of people, so the setup needs to be convincing. We can’t let rumors spread that the Guardian Ten Division of the Divine Martial Sect failed to protect their charge from some shabby mountain bandits. So we need to pick the strongest among those we can use.”
“Yes, Senior. I’ll annihilate all the bandits myself.”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear. Then I’ll trust you, and we’ll pick the strongest place available, alright?”
“Of course.”
Seo Mugyeom was fired up.
“This will be fun. I’ll get real combat experience and make some money. Traveling with the Tenth Division is quite exciting.”
At Ju Jirang’s words, Ho Jo-yeong laughed.
“It wasn’t like this before, but after Mugyeom awakened, things have changed.”
“I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this. But… shouldn’t we decide clearly—will we say Young Mistress Ak is dead, or kidnapped?”
When Seo Mugyeom asked, Ju Jirang answered as if she had already thought it through.
“Saying she’s dead would be better. If we say she was kidnapped, a search order might be issued. The Sect Leader might do that, right? He sent us to help the heir, and if he thinks we failed and lost Young Mistress Ak, he might take action.”
Hearing that, Seo Mugyeom realized something he hadn’t thought of until then.
“Now that you mention it, the Sect Leader must have seen Young Mistress Ak. If we bring her to the Divine Martial Sect, won’t he recognize her?”
“Would it be alright if the Sect Leader knows? He’d probably care about her safety.”
Ho Jo-yeong spoke, but Ju Jirang shook her head seriously.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The Sect Leader likely shares the same thoughts as the Clan Head. As the leader of an organization, he might believe members should accept a certain level of sacrifice. If he sees Young Mistress Ak, he might heavily discipline everyone involved in this mission. The Division Leader will be in serious trouble too. After that, Young Mistress Ak will probably be sent back to the Imperial City.”
That did sound very plausible.
“Then what should we do?”
Seo Mugyeom asked anxiously, and Ju Jirang smiled.
“If the Tenth Division needs workers and brings someone in from outside, wouldn’t there be no need to show her to the Sect Leader? I think if we resolve it that way, there won’t be a problem.”
Seo Mugyeom thought it might not be as easy as it sounded. But he didn’t want to give up just because it seemed difficult.
“Let’s go with that then. From now on, let’s prepare to raid the mountain keep. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?”
Ju Jirang asked, and Ho Jo-yeong responded on Seo Mugyeom’s behalf.
“To our Mugyeom, that’s nothing. He’ll do an amazing job, so please trust him. We probably won’t even need to lift a finger. We’ll just stand back and broaden our horizons.”
At that, Ju Jirang hesitated before asking Seo Mugyeom,
“Martial Artist Seo, by any chance… could you show us the martial technique you used when you killed Jang Doosan that day?”
It wasn’t something one asked easily. But the desire to grow stronger was instinctive for any martial artist. Even if she were refused, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Seo Mugyeom readily nodded.
“It’s no trouble. I’ll even teach you the incantation.”
To this, Ho Jo-yeong seemed more surprised than anyone.
He had seen Seo Mugyeom duel the Division Leader several times and had also sparred with him many times himself. So he thought he knew Seo Mugyeom’s martial arts fairly well.
But when Seo Mugyeom dealt with Jang Doosan, he had used a completely different martial technique, shocking Ho Jo-yeong. He had no idea what secret Seo Mugyeom was hiding.
Could someone, no matter how talented, suddenly display a technique they’d never shown before? And to pull it off at the level of complete mastery—it shook the foundation of everything Ho Jo-yeong thought he knew.
As if deciding to show it all, Seo Mugyeom began to demonstrate the sword technique.
What Ho Jo-yeong and Ju Jirang found curious was that Seo Mugyeom also seemed amazed as he performed it. As if it felt unfamiliar, even though it was his own.
But the two of them focused intently, realizing just how rare and valuable this opportunity was.
After demonstrating the sword forms for a while, Seo Mugyeom taught them the incantation.
Ho Jo-yeong and Ju Jirang felt almost guilty for receiving something so valuable without giving anything in return—but they were grateful nonetheless.
“Would it be alright to have a sparring match too?”
Ju Jirang asked cautiously. She knew it was a shameless request, but there was nothing to lose even if he declined.
“Of course. It’s not difficult. I’ll be learning too.”
Upon hearing Seo Mugyeom’s reply, Ho Jo-yeong swallowed dryly. He wasn’t so sure this was a good idea after all.
But Ju Jirang thought that if there was an opportunity, she had to face it head-on and grow stronger. That way, she’d be able to help Seo Mugyeom in the future.
Time flew by as their hearts filled with anticipation for what the new day would bring.
Black Dragon Keep was a mountain keep belonging to the Green Forest Bandits, and they held immense pride in that.
A large number of former military officers who had grown disillusioned had joined, so Black Dragon Keep was in a different class from the many small-time mountain keeps that littered the land. They considered even being mentioned alongside such places an insult.
But lately, they were troubled by something major.
To sustain itself, a mountain keep needed more than just strength. But they had treated passersby too harshly, and now hardly anyone passed by their territory.
“They say if the water is too clear, no fish can live in it. This is exactly that situation, isn’t it?”
At the Boss’s words, the Sub-Boss nodded emphatically.
“As expected, Boss, your wisdom runs deep. That’s a perfect phrase for our current predicament.”
Some among the executive leadership thought that was a strange use of the saying. But the Boss spoke with conviction.
“Everyone, share your thoughts. Are we just going to sit around until we starve? Do you think if you just sit there staring at me, I’ll feed you all?”
No one had actually thought that. They too felt a sense of crisis and believed they needed to act.
“Boss, maybe this place isn’t so ideal after all. How about relocating entirely?”
When someone suggested it, the Boss stared at him.
The man immediately regretted speaking, thinking he had made a mistake. The Boss’s temper was so fiery that it was better not to attract his attention.
Doing anything noticeable was dangerous, and now he feared he had spoken out of turn and fallen out of favor.
But the Boss had already been considering the same thing—that was the only reason he had looked at him.
“If not here, where do you think would be better? Got any places in mind?”
Thinking the Boss had taken it well, the man began listing some of the more renowned mountain keeps.
“What if we took them over? If we all go, there’s no mountain keep we can’t conquer, right?”
“That’s true. But we’re part of the Green Forest, aren’t we? So we have to follow the rules.”
“Well, that’s also true…”
“But if that place happens to be wiped out by someone else, and then we move in, there’s no problem. As long as no one ever finds out who did it. What do you all think?”
At that, many eyes gleamed.
“Send me, Boss! I’ll unleash a bloodbath on their mountain keep overnight and kill everyone there!”
One man shouted passionately, spitting as he spoke. Not wanting to lose out on the credit, others also pleaded to be sent instead.
“Which place would be best? Somewhere with good roads and a nicely built keep? Pick one like that.”
“Yes, Boss.”
While the discussion continued, someone who had been quiet all along suddenly spoke up.
“Boss, I heard a new courtesan joined Honghwaru. They say she’s very cute and flirtatious. Since she’s new, shouldn’t Boss be the first to enjoy her? If you approve, I’ll go bring her here. I’ll also bring some liquor and meat while I’m at it.”
This was something he had done regularly.
Once a monk, he had broken his vows for lust, and he had never been able to fix that habit.