Chapter 191 The Test (4)

“A dead man who should have died.”

At the words of the middle-aged man with a long scar above his left eyebrow, the Society Leader, who had released his support and caught his breath, asked in puzzlement,

“Haa… Haa… A dead man who should have died?”

“Literally.”

The Society Leader’s eyes narrowed.

If you think about it in reverse, the phrase ‘a dead man who should have died’ also means ‘not dead and alive’.

And if you delve deeper, it can also be interpreted as ‘thought to be dead’.

‘The Sickle-slaying Demon…’

It was a nickname he had never heard of in the martial arts world.

Just who was this Sickle-slaying Demon for him to say such a thing?

If he personally mentioned this person, it couldn’t be someone to just brush off.

After being lost in thought for a moment, the Society Leader spoke,

“Answer me.”

“Yes.”

“Did you kill him directly?”

“Yes, I ruptured his internal organs with a palm strike and pierced his chest where his heart is with this sword.”

The scarred middle-aged man held up the black sword that looked charred.

At this, the Society Leader asked,

“With that extent of injury, he should have definitely died.”

Surviving was even more impossible.

As if agreeing, the man nodded and answered,

“Yes, he should have died.”

“…But you’re saying this because you think that child earlier might be the Sickle-slaying Demon who died by your hand?”

“The possibility is extremely low.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“It goes beyond ‘resemblance’ to the point where he looks like the same person.”

“Looks like the same person?”

At those words, the Society Leader frowned.

Then soon,

“Could it be…”

“Society Leader, let me say this in advance, but it’s completely different from ‘that’.”

“Different?”

“Yes.”

“Then is that really possible?”

“That’s why I’m also concerned.”

Concerned.

In the end, even the slightest possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

At this, the Society Leader stared intently at the man and asked, coughing,

“Cough cough. Why did you kill that Sickle-slaying Demon?”

“He was digging into ‘our’ traces.”

‘!?’

At the middle-aged man’s answer, the Society Leader’s eyes turned strange.

It was a kind of agitation.

What was the meaning of ‘our’ that caused him to react like this?

Soon, the Society Leader spoke,

“Digging into traces. Then that changes the story. Left Guardian.”

“Yes.”

“Verify the truth about the death of that guy called the Sickle-slaying Demon.”

So far, there was no connection other than the resemblance.

Therefore, the Society Leader requested confirmation.

At this, the middle-aged man clasped his hands together in a formal gesture and answered,

“Understood. If there is even the slightest possibility of him being the Sickle-slaying Demon, what should be done? For the sake of the future, it would be better to deal with him immediately…”

“…”

After catching his breath for a moment, the Society Leader spoke in a murderous voice,

“No.”

“But…”

“If that’s the case, wait until he completes the mission.”

“Ah ah.”

The man, understanding the Society Leader’s intention to utilize him until the end, grinned and answered,

“I will do as you command.”

***

When Mok Gyeong-un and Seop Chun, one of the Five Tigers and the Third Captain Commander of the main building, and Mong Mu-yak, another member of the Five Tigers and the Vice-Leader’s son, were standing side by side.

In front of them, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon, with his hands clasped behind his back, spoke,

“Since there was a delay and time is limited, I will now explain the mission.”

‘Mission…’

It was truly a troublesome situation.

If it was a confidential mission important enough for the Society Leader to personally summon them and the Vice-Leader to explain, it definitely wouldn’t be an ordinary mission that could be taken lightly.

Mok Gyeong-un glanced at Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon, who was standing by the entrance, far behind Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon.

Seeing that even he, who was in charge of information and confidentiality, was kept at a distance, it could be inferred that this mission was not discussed with the Shadow Clan Master at all.

If that’s the case,

‘…It means the Shadow Clan Master cannot be trusted in this mission.’

Mok Gyeong-un could deduce this from the fragmentary information.

At that moment, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon began the explanation,

“I will first talk about the objective of this mission. The goal is to abduct a person imprisoned in a certain place and bring them back to our sect.”

At those words, Seop Chun, the Third Captain Commander of the main building, lightly raised his hand and asked,

“Is the person we need to abduct a member of our sect?”

At that question, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon stared intently at Seop Chun and eventually answered,

“No. For now…”

“If not, is it an enemy?”

At Seop Chun’s follow-up question, the Vice-Leader frowned and answered in a somewhat heavy voice,

“Whether the person being abducted is an enemy or ally is not something you should be concerned about. Your job is solely to use any means necessary for the mission and bring that person to the main building of our Heaven and Earth Society’s inner fortress.”

“…”

Just who is it that information about the person to be abducted is restricted?

Seop Chun spoke in a somewhat puzzled tone,

“That may be so, but I’m asking how we’re supposed to abduct a person, not an object, with such limited information.”

At his words, Mok Gyeong-un also nodded.

Seop Chun’s questioning was valid.

At this, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon shook his head and answered the question,

“Information about the person to be abducted will be revealed once you leave the sect and arrive at the place where they are imprisoned.”

‘Once we arrive at the place?’

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un realized.

He didn’t know who they were supposed to abduct, but it seemed that information about the person to be abducted shouldn’t be leaked within the sect before they left for the mission.

From this, two things could be inferred.

One,

‘Is it someone who could create negative public opinion?’

Judging from the Society Leader’s personality, although he had a fickle side, he was quite authoritarian and tended to push through with what he wanted to do.

If the Society Leader kept information confidential about the person he wanted to bring, there was a high probability that the executives or members of the Heaven and Earth Society would view it negatively.

Second,

‘Spies…’

Revealing the information only after reaching the location of the target to be abducted was a precaution against the information being known to internal members.

This could be to thoroughly maintain secrecy for the success of the mission, but conversely, it also meant that there could be spies within the inner fortress.

‘…Not even discussing the mission with the Shadow Clan Master could mean they judged that there might be spies even among the key executives.’

The corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth twitched as his thoughts reached this point.

Although all of this was mere speculation, if even a part of it was true, it had the potential to create a stir in this massive organization.

At that moment, the Vice-Leader said,

“Any more questions?”

“No.”

-Swish!

Realizing that further questioning would only confirm that information about the mission was restricted, Seop Chun lowered his raised hand, having nothing more to say.

Then Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon spoke with his arms crossed,

“This mission will naturally be revealed later, but until then, it requires confidentiality. So don’t have too many doubts. Understood?”

“Yes!”

Everyone answered simultaneously.

Then Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon continued,

“The personnel deployed for the mission are divided into an advance team and a follow-up team. The advance team has already departed, so once you arrive, you will hear more details from them.”

‘Advance team?’

It seemed there were more people they had to work with.

Whatever the mission was, Mok Gyeong-un hoped it would be something that could be completed as quickly as possible rather than being difficult.

Of course, with only this fragmentary information, it was still impossible to gauge the situation.

“The first gathering point where the advance team is waiting is Annak in Henan Province Province.”

‘Annak?’

At those words, the eyes of the three people, including Mok Gyeong-un, turned strange.

That was because Annak in Henan Province Province was right near Kaifeng^[1], the capital where the imperial palace was located.

If the first gathering point to meet up with the advance team and receive information was Annak, then…

‘…It’s the capital.’

All three of them could guess the true gathering point for the mission.

***

After the brief explanation of the mission was over, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon, who had been waiting for Mok Gyeong-un before departure, called him over with a gesture.

Keeping a distance from the others, the two began a conversation.

“Master.”

“It has turned out quite coincidentally.”

“Yes.”

“Did you hear where the mission will be carried out?”

“They didn’t tell us. They only informed us of the first gathering point.”

“Is that so? Then…”

“The capital Kaifeng seems certain.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon smiled.

It wasn’t because he was his disciple, but this fellow was indeed clever.

“Ohoho. That’s right. It’s Kaifeng. To be precise, it’s the imperial palace in Kaifeng.”

‘!?’

At the mention of the imperial palace, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flashed with surprise.

He had suspected it might be in the capital, but he didn’t expect it to actually be the imperial palace.

“There are eyes watching, so don’t show any signs.”

“Understood.”

“There’s no time, so for now, I’ll inform you about our sect’s spies in the imperial palace.”

“Thank you.”

In fact, the main reason why Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon and his disciple Mok Gyeong-un were assigned to this mission was precisely this.

If Mok Gyeong-un, the successor of the Shadow Clan, was directly involved in the mission, the Shadow Clan’s spies in the imperial palace would cooperate even more desperately.

The involvement of Mong Mu-yak, the son of Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon, was in a similar context.

The spies of the Society Leader’s direct subordinates managed by Mong Seo-cheon were also in the imperial palace, so they would obediently cooperate with Mong Mu-yak.

“…is there. Memorize it in your head. You can do it, right?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And take this with you.”

The Shadow Clan Master handed Mok Gyeong-un a jade token with a tiger engraved on it.

“What is this?”

“If you have this token and the code I told you, they will cooperate without question.”

“Yes.”

Mok Gyeong-un accepted the jade token.

However, he felt something else on his palm as he received the token.

It was,

‘A ring?’

It seemed to be a ring worn on the finger.

It appeared to have been intentionally handed over hidden under the jade token.

Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon spoke in an even more whispering voice than before,

“It’s the identification token of a member. Keep it with you.”

“Why this?”

“From now on, I will give you an order as a senior member of our order, not the Heaven and Earth Society.”

“…”

‘As a senior member?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

Is this mission somehow entangled with the Fire Faith Order as well?

While he was puzzled, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon quietly whispered,

“The person you will be abducting in this mission is the Holy Guardian of our order.”

‘!?’

The Holy Guardian?

He had heard about this from Hwan Ya-seon before.

In the Fire Faith Order, there were two highest positions, one being the Sect Leader and the second being the Holy Guardian, who communicated with the sacred fire and was in charge of rituals.

However, according to what Hwan Ya-seon had told him, the Sect Leader of the Fire Faith Order had lost his life, and the Holy Guardian’s whereabouts were unknown.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un quietly asked,

“Why is the Society Leader looking for him?”

It didn’t make sense.

Didn’t he say that the Fire Faith Order had left the righteous path and was rejected by martial artists?

Then why was the Society Leader of the Heaven and Earth Society trying to abduct the Holy Guardian of the Fire Faith Order?

To Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Hwan Ya-seon answered,

“…I can’t tell you the details now. However, the success or failure of this matter depends solely on you.”

“What is the mission?”

“If you succeed in the abduction in the Society Leader’s confidential mission… Before returning, smuggle out the Holy Guardian.”

“…”

At those words, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes turned strange.

He had guessed that there might be conflicting issues at some point while pretending to be a member of the Fire Faith Order and having a foot in both camps, but he didn’t expect it to come in this way.

‘Ah ah ah… This has become troublesome.’

If he failed in the abduction or if something went wrong while smuggling out the abducted Holy Guardian, he could become a traitor to the Heaven and Earth Society.

No, he would already be considered a traitor the moment he tried to smuggle him out.

On the other hand, if he ignored the Shadow Clan Master’s order, it would definitely lead to a difficult situation.

It was truly a dilemma where neither choice was easy to make.

‘What should I do?’

Whatever it was, it seemed the moment had come when a choice was necessary.

***

While Mok Gyeong-un was conversing with Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon was also giving a secret order to his son Mong Mu-yak, in addition to information about the spies.

“Keep an eye on Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Mok Gyeong-un… you mean?”

“Yes, monitor his every move.”

“Father, why?”

“Aha! Who told you to address me like that in a formal setting?”

At the reprimand of his father Mong Seo-cheon, Mong Mu-yak lowered his head and answered,

“…I apologize, Vice-Leader. But why are you giving such an order?”

“To verify his loyalty.”

‘Ah!’

Right.

Even if he pledged loyalty in the Corpse Blood Valley, his roots were in the righteous faction.

It was too early to completely trust a guy who had only pledged loyalty half a month ago as a person of the Heaven and Earth Society.

“If… there are grounds for suspicion, what should I do?”

At those words, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon took out a small red gourd-like object from his bosom.

Then he handed it over to his son Mong Mu-yak.

“Take this with you.”

“Is this by any chance?”

“Yes. If that guy makes contact with people from the righteous faction or shows any suspicious signs, use this. You know how to use it, right?”

“Yes.”

How could he not know?

He had witnessed its tremendous effects with his own eyes.

However, he had doubts about whether this would work properly on that monster-like guy who endured even the Society Leader’s profound true qi without letting out a single groan.

***

While Mok Gyeong-un and Mong Mu-yak were each receiving secret orders from the Shadow Clan Master and the Vice-Leader, Seop Chun, the Third Captain Commander of the main building who was waiting alone, muttered with a sigh and shrugged his shoulders,

“This is the fate of someone without backing.”

Seop Chun’s position was different from the other Five Tigers.

His family, which originated from a small to medium-sized martial arts clan and had joined the Heaven and Earth Society twenty years ago instead of during its founding, had no influence in the sect.

Therefore, he was like a pawn that could be used and discarded at any time.

Even in this confidential mission, unlike the others who had reliable executive patrons like the Vice-Leader or the Shadow Clan Master, he had no backing to protect him in case of emergency.

That meant if an unexpected situation were to occur, his sacrifice could be demanded if things took a turn for the worse.

“Tsk.”

Truly a gloomy and boring life.

Lost in thought, Seop Chun furtively glanced at Mok Gyeong-un.

Although meeting him for the first time today, he seemed to be no ordinary guy.

Should he say he was exceptional?

There weren’t many people who gave him this feeling.

‘Perhaps only the Eldest Young Master.’

The Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang.

He was on a completely different level compared to the Society Leader’s other disciples.

Was this the feeling of someone walking the path of hegemony?

That was the impression.

However, interestingly, the same feeling emanated from Mok Gyeong-un, who was only seventeen years old, to a mysterious extent.

He didn’t seem like someone who would be under anyone.

‘Hmm.’

Come to think of it, if this mission was successfully completed, the Society Leader had promised to take him in as his fourth disciple.

That meant the guy would also gain the qualification to be a successor.

Although his support base was weak.

Seop Chun, who had been intently watching Mok Gyeong-un, faintly raised the corners of his mouth.

‘Life is only lived once anyway. Should I take a gamble?’