Chapter 11
Chapter 11
“Uh, i-is the Fifth Young Master here?”
A hurried voice that sounded anxious just from hearing it rang out. Hearing that voice, Youngho opened the door and said,
“What is it—!!”
The moment Youngho saw Sopyung being carried on a servant’s back, he unknowingly shouted out loud.
“Sopyung!”
At the sudden loud voice, Horyeung also stepped outside and spoke.
“Young Master, what is— Sopyung!”
The instant Horyeung saw Sopyung, whose hair was disheveled and whose body looked unharmed in nowhere, she immediately ran out to support her.
But before that, Youngho had already supported Sopyung’s body.
No—this was not even support.
Holding Sopyung’s body, Youngho carefully handed her over to Horyeung.
“What on earth happened?!”
Without realizing it, Horyeung shouted at Youngho, but he did not even notice that he had been rude.
Youngho also did not particularly rebuke him for it. What mattered now was not dignity.
In an instant, Horyeung sent his internal energy into Sopyung to examine her condition.
Soon, Horyeung’s face began to crumple like that of a vicious ghost.
“It’s serious. If we don’t go to the Medical Hall right now, she could die.”
“Her leg is broken. She might even be crippled for life. We’re going to the Medical Hall immediately. And you two.”
Seeing the sharp, icy glare in Youngho’s eyes as he looked at them, the two servants felt a chill run down their necks, but they overcame their fear and spoke.
“Give us your orders.”
“There’s a lot I want to say right now, but first we go to the Medical Hall.”
“Yes, understood—!!”
In an instant, Youngho grabbed the backs of the two servants’ necks and unleashed his lightness skill. Horyeung might have been shocked by Youngho’s terrifying speed, but right now, the Sopyung she was holding mattered far more, so she lifted her safely without the slightest disturbance.
From the two bodies moving like lightning, an unmistakable killing intent was spilling out.
Arriving at the Medical Hall in the blink of an eye, Youngho used his internal energy to speak in a voice loud enough for everyone there to hear.
“I am Youngho, the Alliance Lord’s fifth disciple. Summon a senior physician at once.”
Sensing that the ferocity on Youngho’s face and the killing intent flowing from Horyeung were no ordinary matter, the junior physicians hurriedly summoned a senior physician.
The senior physician also looked as though he had rushed out in a hurry, perhaps having seen the desperate expressions of the junior physicians.
“My name is Myeongchong.”
“Introductions are unnecessary. Treat the patient, quickly.”
Myeongchong looked at Sopyung in Horyeung’s arms with a puzzled expression, but upon feeling the killing intent from Horyeung—like the reincarnation of Asura—he immediately began examining Sopyung.
“It’s serious.”
“Treat her.”
“First, we must treat the internal injuries. The external wounds are severe as well, but those will heal with time.”
“What about her leg? She won’t be unable to use it for life, will she?”
Overwhelmed by the atmosphere of Youngho glaring at him as if he would tear him to pieces if Sopyung’s leg were crippled for life, Myeongchong spoke with a stiff face.
“I will do my utmost.”
With those words, Sopyung’s treatment began.
To avoid interfering with Myeongchong, Youngho and Horyeung stepped out of the room.
Once outside, Horyeung struggled to suppress the uncontrollable killing intent.
Grit, grit.
After succeeding in controlling the killing intent, anger that had risen to the top of his head began to engulf Horyeung’s body.
“Just who the hell did this!”
The ferocity pouring out even from him voice made the nearby physicians flinch without realizing it.
“Horyeung. Calm down.”
“Young Master! Even so, this is—!!”
Unable to endure the surging resentment, Horyeung looked at Youngho.
Chill—!
At that moment, Horyeung noticed the ominous killing intent flowing from Youngho’s eyes and instinctively shut his mouth.
The killing intent flashing in Youngho’s eyes was incomparably denser than Horyeung’s. Seeing that gaze, Horyeung felt as if he had been swallowed whole.
He did not know by what. But whether it was a bear or a tiger, he felt that something had bitten down on his throat.
That cold, horrifying sensation cleared Horyeung’s mind. It felt as though he had splashed his face with ice-cold water.
“Calm down.”
By the time Youngho told him to calm down once more, Horyeung had long since closed his mouth.
Sensing that Horyeung had regained his composure, Youngho now took a deep breath himself and gathered his killing intent.
Small enough not to be noticed by anyone, yet compressed more densely than anything else, Youngho began erasing that killing intent.
Youngho closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and spoke.
“First, we investigate the circumstances of the incident.”
In Youngho’s eyes as he spoke, there was no trace of human warmth to be found.
Seeing Youngho’s eyes, empty like those of a corpse, Horyeung felt goosebumps rise, but she spoke while doing her best not to show it.
“What on earth could have happened?”
“We’ll know once we ask.”
“You mean the two servants you brought, Young Master?”
“Yes. And first, I want to thank you, Horyeung.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that?”
“If it weren’t for you, Sopyung would have definitely died today. She wouldn’t even have been able to hold onto hope of living.”
Knowing the hidden meaning behind those words, Horyeung nodded with a complicated expression.
In the Unorthodox Faction, power itself was law and justification. If Horyeung had not been here, the senior physician would not have rushed over like this.
The reason was extremely simple.
Because Youngho himself was still weak. That was all.
No matter how much Youngho scattered killing intent in strands, the junior physicians would have gone at an unbearably leisurely pace to call the senior physician.
That too was because Youngho was still perceived as weak. At present, the Unorthodox Alliance’s perception of Youngho was merely that of someone who was still alive thanks to good luck.
It might be different in the future rather than the present, but for now, Youngho had little influence.
Influence enough to seize control of the Unorthodox Alliance, that was.
At the very least, because an unknown old martial artist was emitting a terrifying killing intent, Sopyung was able to receive treatment from a senior physician.
“Young Master, just how long do you plan to hide your strength?”
Horyeung secretly erected a barrier of qi so that no one could hear him conversation with Youngho.
“For the time being, I have to live like this.”
“Then what will you do about the one who did this to Sopyung?”
“To be honest, I want to kill them, but…… right now, that would be impossible.”
“What?”
Contrary to her expectations, negative words came from Youngho’s mouth, and Horyeung could not hide his confusion.
“Why is that?”
“Because there’s a high chance the mastermind behind this is either my senior brother or my senior sister.”
At those words, Horyeung let out a hollow sigh.
“There’s nothing I can do, then.”
“Right. It’s a problem I have to resolve myself.”
“Then what do you plan to do?”
“I move.”
Youngho lowered his head so the killing intent flashing in his eyes would not be seen by the physicians and spoke.
“Even if I don’t give them the impression that I’m strong, I at least need to correct the impression that I’m weak.”
“Do you have a method?”
“First, I extract information.”
With those words, Youngho headed toward where the two servants he had brought were waiting.
“Hey, you two.”
“Yes. Fifth Young Master.”
The servants’ response was extremely polite. Knowing full well that this was because Horyeung was standing right beside him, Youngho nearly let out a sneer without realizing it.
“Who’s the one who did this to Sopyung?”
“It was a maid named Nanhyang.”
“Nanhyang?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re saying that woman did this?”
As a chill killing intent seeped into Youngho’s tone, Horyeung spoke as if urging him to calm down.
“You know her?”
“She’s someone my Third Senior Brother sent to monitor me last time. It was when you weren’t around, so you wouldn’t know.”
“I see. Then that maid is probably with the Third Young Master right now.”
“Most likely.”
At that moment, one of the servants spoke to Youngho.
“Fifth Young Master, may I report something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Nanhyang said that if you want to see her, you should come to where the Fourth Young Miss is.”
“Did she?”
“Yes.”
The servant’s body trembled pitifully under the pressure of Horyeung’s killing intent.
“A-and she said you must come alone. Otherwise……”
“Otherwise?”
“She, she said she would kill the maid called Sopyung…….”
At that moment, a chilling cracking sound came from Horyeung’s hand. It felt as though whatever he was holding would be torn to pieces at any moment.
Youngho looked at the two servants with eyes colder than the Northern Sea and spoke.
“You two have nothing to do with the maid called Nanhyang, right?”
“W-we only followed orders.”
“Alright. You can go.”
Because they had not expected to be let go so easily, the servants stared at Youngho with wide eyes.
“What are you doing? Go. But if you’re involved in this incident, you won’t escape death.”
“Th-thank you!”
The two male servants expressed their gratitude to Youngho with their entire bodies and immediately ran off, desperate to get away from Youngho—no, from Horyeung.
“You’re just letting them go like that?”
“Those two actually came to me to save Sopyung.”
“You’re not unaware that this is a trap, are you?”
“Even so, those two are not guilty.”
“What will you do now?”
“I’ll play along.”
“That means……?”
“I’ll go alone to where that woman Hong Gakjeong is. You stay here and protect Sopyung.”
“That’s not possible.”
No matter how much he cherished Sopyung, his duty was to guard Youngho. He could not let Youngho be killed.
“No. You protect Sopyung. I’ll go alone and come back.”
“The opponent is no joke. They’re seriously trying to kill you, Young Master.”
“Horyeung, listen carefully.”
Startled for a moment by the sudden change in Youngho’s presence, Horyeung quickly adjusted to the atmosphere and replied.
“I’m listening.”
“From here on, this is a matter between fellow disciples of the Master. No one can interfere.”
“The Fourth Young Miss will interfere.”
“Even so, she can’t kill me. And more than anything, I don’t want you to see my ugly side just yet.”
“Yes?”
“That’s enough. Just guard Sopyung. I’ll be back soon.”
Sensing an inexplicable confidence in Youngho’s words, Horyeung felt a sense of unease.
This felt different from the Youngho He had known until now. Something had changed.
‘But I don’t know what that change is.’
It was a slightly chilling feeling.
“Anyway, I’ll be back. Protect Sopyung well.”
As if he had no intention of listening any further, Youngho moved immediately. Horyeung tried to grab his arm, but strangely, Youngho’s arm vanished like mist.
Seeing that, Horyeung stared with widened eyes in disbelief, but in the place where Youngho had been, only passing dust was carried away by the wind.
‘I couldn’t grab him?’
And against a greenhorn who had only been seriously training martial arts for six months?
Horyeung let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Now I think I finally understand the source of your confidence.”
A pleased smile settled on Horyeung’s lips.