Chapter 130 Ability (3)

As they all withdrew, Mok Gyeong-un sent a smiling voice transmission to Cheong-ryeong.

-I’ll have to kill that blind man first.

-… I knew you’d say that.

Cheong-ryeong had expected this cunning fellow to naturally say that.

Clicking her tongue, Cheong-ryeong said,

-You handled it relatively well, but what about that guy?

That guy.

She meant Go Chan, who had possessed Ha Chae-rin.

Wasn’t the original purpose to come out and retrieve him?

At that question, Mok Gyeong-un sent a voice transmission.

-I already instructed Guard Go Chan through voice transmission to monitor them.

-Monitor? Hoh.

It seemed like a good decision.

Although they were withdrawing for now due to his three-inch tongue, it was certain that they would get involved again in some way.

If Go Chan naturally played the role of a monitor at a time like this, it would be easy to handle whatever happened later.

-Since he doesn’t seem to dislike being possessed by a wench’s body, he should do well.

‘Was that so?’

Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

He remembered Go Chan constantly frowning and not even being able to make eye contact with him.

Anyway, since he had told him that he would change his body to a man’s soon, he thought Go Chan would diligently carry out the task.

Then, Cheong-ryeong said,

-Still, unlike our concerns, you handled it well with your mind.

She had been worried that Mok Gyeong-un might act rashly without considering the consequences, as he often took unexpected actions while they were together.

But unlike these worries, he seemed to have gained some composure now.

However…

-Since there are eyes watching.

-Yes, there’s also that eunuch-like fellow assigned by that mortal, so it’s best to be cautious.

-It’s not just that.

-Not just that?

-Yes.

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un glanced at somewhere.

Then, he chuckled and headed back to the Shadow Clan’s estate.

As Mok Gyeong-un disappeared like that, two individuals revealed themselves behind a wall about ten jang away.

One was a short man with a goatee, and the other was a woman wearing a bamboo hat and a veil.

The short man said to the woman,

“Young Lady, that Mok Gyeong-un kid seems to have clashed with the Second Young Master, so why are you letting him go?”

The woman in the bamboo hat, whom the short man addressed as “Young Lady,” was none other than Wi So-yeon, the third disciple of the Society Leader.

“Well…”

“Pardon?”

At the man’s question, she gave a vague answer.

Just an hour ago, she had learned from an informant that Mok Gyeong-un, whom she had met at the Corpse Blood Valley report, was a hostage from the righteous faction and had scored the highest at the Corpse Blood Valley gates, and she was caught in a strange feeling.

‘Righteous faction?’

Why was the talent she had coveted from the righteous faction?

Thinking carefully, in the Central Plains martial world, there was no martial family with the surname “Mok” (木) except for the Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

‘Mok Gyeong-un…’

He was a talent she had coveted enough to entrust him with her identity tag, but his true identity was really unexpected.

Because of this, she had felt quite regretful after hearing this information.

‘Did I do something unnecessary?’

At that time, she had given him the tag because she liked him, but now that she heard he was a hostage from the righteous faction, she thought it might hold her back.

But what could she do about something she had already given?

So, she wanted to meet Mok Gyeong-un again and judge whether he would be helpful to her or not.

Even if he was a hostage from the righteous faction, since he had passed the Corpse Blood Valley gates with the highest score and became the Shadow Clan Master’s disciple, he was in a position she couldn’t easily let go of.

But coincidentally, while going to find Mok Gyeong-un, she saw him talking with her second senior brother.

‘… He’s really like a thorny issue.’

Seeing that her second senior brother also coveted him, she thought so.

A thorny issue.

It referred to a part of a chicken’s rib that had little meat, making it regrettable to eat or not to eat.

Right now, Mok Gyeong-un’s existence was like that to Wi So-yeon.

If she recruited him right away, it would be burdensome for her, who needed to gather more support forces, since he was a hostage from the righteous faction.

But seeing that he had become the disciple of the Shadow Clan Master, who was in charge of information and spies, and even her second senior brother Jang Neung-ak was eyeing him, it was regrettable to simply let him be taken away.

To her, the short man said while looking at something,

“Putting that aside, is what he said earlier true?”

“What?”

“Didn’t Young Master Jang Neung-ak say something about that hostage from the righteous faction surpassing the peak realm?”

At his words, Wi So-yeon’s eyes narrowed behind the veil.

They had hidden at a distance and suppressed their presence to the maximum, so they couldn’t properly see or hear.

However, she had also heard Jang Neung-ak’s words.

[For someone not even in his prime to surpass the peak realm is very rare.]

‘Strange.’

This point was indeed questionable.

She had met Mok Gyeong-un at the Corpse Blood Valley report just two days ago.

At that time, she had directly assessed Mok Gyeong-un’s martial prowess and even confirmed his level by directly touching his hand.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s martial prowess at that time was at most at the pinnacle of peak realm, even being generous.

‘He definitely wasn’t hiding his skills.’

But how did he receive an evaluation of surpassing the peak realm in just two days?

This made her suspicious.

There was no way Jang Neung-ak, the Society Leader’s second disciple, would make up a story about someone he was meeting for the first time.

“Young Lady?”

At the short man’s call, Wi So-yeon quietly opened her mouth.

“… I’ll have to confirm it myself.”

There was nothing faster than experiencing it with one’s own eyes.

If he had really surpassed the peak realm in such a short period, he was someone she had to recruit regardless of his background.

***

Seok Jung, the Shadow Clan’s escort warrior, guided Mok Gyeong-un to his lodging within the estate.

Since he had become a formal disciple, the treatment from the Shadow Clan was assured.

They allowed him to use an entire separate residence with a garden by himself, and there were four escort warriors and two attendants guarding the place.

However, seeing them, Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘They’re all monitors.’

The attendants were also learning martial arts, despite being called attendants.

Thanks to that, Mok Gyeong-un clearly recognized that they were all playing the role of monitoring his every move.

-He must have been quite dissatisfied.

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

It was annoying, but he understood.

Even if he was the Shadow Clan Master, it didn’t seem like he would easily let go of his suspicions just because he had accepted him as a disciple.

Monitoring was a natural course of action.

It would probably continue for a while until the suspicions were completely dispelled.

-What level are they?

-The two attendants are third-rate, and the four escorts are all first-rate warriors.

In the eyes of Mok Gyeong-un, who had opened the Ghost Eye, their levels were clearly visible.

It wasn’t difficult to estimate their martial prowess just by the size of their energy.

-Even if their martial prowess is low, it will be difficult to move freely with so many monitors.

-We shouldn’t do that.

-Shouldn’t do that, huh.

He must have something else in mind.

While inspecting the separate residence like that, Seok Jung clasped his hands in greeting to Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“My task is finished, so I will take my leave now.”

“Ah, you said your name was Escort Seok Jung?”

“Yes.”

“I have something to quietly ask you, so could we talk for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Escort Seok Jung couldn’t hide his puzzlement.

However, since there were many monitors watching around, even if they had some conversation inside, it didn’t seem like it would cause any particular problems.

Escort Seok Jung sent a light hand signal to the escorts guarding the separate residence and followed Mok Gyeong-un into the room.

-Creak! Thud!

After closing the door, Escort Seok Jung naturally asked Mok Gyeong-un, who was sitting at the round table,

“What did you want to say?”

“You’ll report about me, right?”

“… Pardon?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sudden question, Escort Seok Jung was momentarily stunned and then belatedly asked back.

He wondered what question Mok Gyeong-un would ask, but he didn’t expect him to be so blatantly direct.

In response, Seok Jung pretended and answered,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Since it’s just the two of us, you can speak honestly. You’re going to report, aren’t you?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Escort Seok Jung’s expression stiffened.

Did this guy call him into the room separately to ask him not to report?

If that was the case, it was a huge miscalculation.

Seok Jung spoke in a serious tone,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I only follow the orders of the Clan Master.”

“Yes, you would. But don’t do that.”

“… Just what are you saying?”

“It’s exactly as you heard. Even if you continue to monitor me in the future, only report to Master what I allow you to report.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Seok Jung’s eyes sharpened.

The Clan Master had told him to thoroughly monitor Mok Gyeong-un because he was a hostage from the righteous faction, and he now understood why.

Just what kind of guy was he?

If he knew that Seok Jung was monitoring him under the Clan Master’s order, he should have restrained himself or not treated him recklessly.

-Tap!

Escort Seok Jung clasped his hands in greeting to Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“I will pretend I didn’t hear what you just said. However, if you continue to force such things on me, I will have no choice but to…”

“You’ll regret it.”

What? Regret it?

This guy was truly arrogant beyond measure.

Although he was a formal disciple, if the Shadow Clan Master changed his mind at any time, he could be expelled.

Yet was he trying to threaten him, the monitor, right now?

At this, Escort Seok Jung, unable to endure it any longer, turned his feet and said,

“I can’t listen any further. I will take my…”

-Swish!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un stretched out his hand.

In that instant…

-Whoosh!

“Huh?”

The body of Escort Seok Jung, who had tried to go outside, was forcibly pulled by an invisible force.

He tried to resist by drawing up his internal energy, but it was useless.

-Thud!

In an instant, Seok Jung, who had flown forward, fell to the floor.

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

Mok Gyeong-un stepped on Seok Jung’s back with his foot.

-Press!

“Ack!”

He had seen Mok Gyeong-un fighting against the subordinates of the Clan Master’s second disciple earlier, so he was aware that he was no match for him.

But what was this?

Could it be that Mok Gyeong-un had just pulled him using the Void Grasping technique?

‘Impossible.’

To be able to pull a person using the Void Grasping technique, one had to be a master who had nearly reached the pinnacle of the transcendent realm.

The pinnacle of the transcendent realm meant being a grandmaster at the level of the Five Kings.

Of course, this wasn’t a proper Void Grasping technique.

It was one of the eight techniques of the Destruction Fist, the “Seizing” technique.

“J-Just what…”

“Shh. Be quiet. If you make too much noise, those outside who want to eavesdrop will get curious.”

“…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Seok Jung shut his mouth.

He had previously signaled the escort warriors guarding outside to stay close in case of emergencies.

So now, all the escorts and attendants were right next to the separate residence.

Seok Jung calmly said,

“… Knowing that, why are you doing this to me?”

“Why, you ask? Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“Even if you are a master who I can’t handle, I only serve the Shadow Clan…”

-Shing!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un drew his sword from the leather scabbard.

Seok Jung swallowed his dry saliva, perhaps feeling tense from the brilliant and sharp aura flowing from the blade.

Was this person really someone who had nothing to lose?

There were monitors outside, yet he even drew his sword, so was he really going to…

-Swish!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the blade and placed the hilt of the sword, the handle, against Seok Jung’s sword.

Just what was he doing? At that instant…

-Whoosh!

‘!?’

Seok Jung blinked his eyes.

What just happened?

Feeling a dazed sensation, he couldn’t remember what had happened for a moment.

It was like the feeling of waking up from sleep.

Then, Mok Gyeong-un’s voice was heard,

“You have a humble desire. You want to marry your lover, who is also from the escort group, build an estate in the outer city, and live happily…”

‘!?’

Seok Jung’s eyes widened.

What?

How did this bastard know that?

To the perplexed Seok Jung, Mok Gyeong-un pressed his back with his foot and said,

“But if that lover dies, that humble wish will also be shattered.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Seok Jung, momentarily enraged, tried to push off the floor and stand up.

However…

“Ugh…”

It was impossible since he was inferior in internal energy from the beginning.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said,

“I hope you don’t waste your energy on needless acts.”

“You… you! If you do such things…”

“Isn’t it entirely up to Escort Seok Jung’s efforts to make sure I don’t want to do such things?”

“…”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s threat, Escort Seok Jung tightly shut his mouth.

He had to endure unconditionally right now.

This guy was someone the Clan Master should never have accepted as a disciple.

He made up his mind to pretend to submit and then immediately go to the Clan Master to report.

However…

-Swish!

There was a sound coming from the window side.

It was a sound like the paper on the window being pierced, and…

-Tap!

Escort Seok Jung’s eyes shook crazily at the butterfly-shaped accessory that fell in front of him.

It was the accessory he had given to his lover as a gift.

“Th-This is…”

To the perplexed Seok Jung, Mok Gyeong-un bent his waist and whispered in his ear,

“Next time, instead of an accessory, you’ll see your lover’s severed head. Do you understand?”

‘!!!!!!!’

The moment he saw Mok Gyeong-un’s face, Seok Jung felt like his heart was stopping.

Although he was smiling, the moment he met Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes filled with malice, his spine turned cold, and he wanted to vomit out everything inside him right away.

“You look like you’re about to cry. Did someone bully you? There, there. Get up.”

-Pat pat!

Mok Gyeong-un lightly patted his back and then helped him stand up.

And to the pale-faced Seok Jung, he said,

“Just inform Master that the Society Leader’s second disciple came to visit, but I politely declined, so they left. Leave out any stories about who I fought or whatnot. Understand?”

“… Y-Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Then go ahead.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Seok Jung tried to hurry outside.

But his legs were trembling, making it difficult to walk properly.

Only by circulating his internal energy throughout his body was he barely able to walk out the door.

As he went out like that, he saw the escort warriors and attendants waiting right in front of the separate residence in case of emergencies.

Seok Jung asked them,

“Did the Young Master happen to come out while I was with him?”

“What do you mean by that? Weren’t you continuously conversing inside?”

“That’s right. No one came out, so did something happen inside?”

‘!?’

At the escorts’ words, Seok Jung’s expression stiffened.

Judging from their reactions, it seemed Mok Gyeong-un had never come out at all.

But how did he bring this butterfly-shaped accessory?

He had no idea what was going on.

-Shudder!

Seok Jung felt goosebumps all over his body.

What kind of ghost-wailing situation was this?

He knew the wish he had been longing for without even saying it?

He brought the accessory he had given to her without even going outside?

It was hard to believe if all of this was real.

“Escort Seok. What kind of conversation did you have inside to make you like this?”

“… N-Nothing much was discussed.”

“But why?”

“I’m just feeling a bit unwell.”

Seok Jung couldn’t say anything.

If he was someone who could do such strange and frightening things while sitting still, it seemed he could do anything as he had warned.

‘I can’t say anything. Anything at all.’

Seok Jung had no thoughts other than wanting to leave this place right away and catch his breath.

“… I’m done with my task, so I’ll be going now.”

With those words, Seok Jung hurriedly left the separate residence.

Seeing his appearance, those who were puzzled about what had happened approached Mok Gyeong-un, who had come out of the separate residence.

And with a smile, he said,

“You all must be working hard. Since you’ll be with me from now on, shall we have a cup of warm tea together?”