Chapter 192 Loyalty (1)

In a room with only a single candle lit on the lantern.

A man in his early thirties with a small stature was sitting cross-legged in front of the bed.

On the bed lay a man with a handsome appearance, his right eye and head wrapped in bandages. He was none other than Na Yul-ryang, the chief disciple of the Heaven and Earth Society Master.

Na Yul-ryang’s left eye, which had been closed as if dead, opened.

-Swish!

Na Yul-ryang turned his head and looked at the man sitting cross-legged.

Noticing this, the man shook his head and spoke,

“You really don’t look good.”

“…”

Although he had a deep voice, the man had a peculiar voice that sounded like it belonged to a boy before puberty.

Na Yul-ryang, who had been staring intently at this man, spoke,

“How long have I been like this?”

“Three days.”

“Three days?”

At those words, Na Yul-ryang snorted as if he couldn’t believe it.

Since reaching adulthood, he had never been particularly injured, and he had never been unconscious for this long.

-Grit!

Everything that had happened during his confrontation with that guy flashed through his mind.

Including the last moment when he had turned into a poisonous human shield and embraced him.

-Sting!

But why did his right eye hurt so much?

That wasn’t all.

There was pain in his right wrist and right ankle as well.

At this, the puzzled Na Yul-ryang was told by the man, clicking his tongue,

“Your right eyeball is gone, and the bones in your right wrist and right ankle are crushed.”

“…”

At those words, Na Yul-ryang’s expression distorted.

More than the other injured areas, the fact that his right eyeball was gone made his nerves tingle from head to toe.

‘This is not a pleasant feeling.’

It was an emotion he was experiencing for the first time.

Even when he got angry, it usually ended with just a feeling of unpleasantness, but this lasted longer.

Is this the emotion called rage?

To Na Yul-ryang, who was expressing his anger like that, the man said,

“Since you’re awake, that’s a relief. Just before, that person was insisting on having a duel with the Poison King, and I had to break a sweat to dissuade him.”

“Poison King?”

“Yes, why did you fight with that dangerous old man in the first place? Did you suddenly want to subdue the Five Kings or whatever with force?”

At the man’s words, one of Na Yul-ryang’s eyebrows rose.

Nevertheless, the man spoke without any fear,

“Did I say something wrong?”

“…”

If it were anyone else, no one would have been able to speak so bluntly to Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang.

However, Na Yul-ryang showed displeasure at the man’s words but didn’t directly express anger.

Was it because he trusted the man that much?

At that moment, Na Yul-ryang stared intently at the man and spoke,

“Does everyone know that I ended up like this?”

“No. How is that possible? If it were a minor injury, that would be one thing, but if it became known that you suffered an injury of this extent, it would have shaken things up considerably even internally.”

The information had been blocked, hiding it from everyone.

At the man’s words, Na Yul-ryang let out a soft sigh and said,

“Then only you and that old man know about it?”

“Yes, that person was so stubborn in coming to see you that there was no other way.”

The man shrugged his shoulders with a disgusted expression.

At this, Na Yul-ryang asked,

“Did you tell him not to do anything unnecessary?”

“I told him to endure until you woke up if he cared about the Eldest Young Master.”

“…You did well.”

If the fact that he had suffered serious injuries had been revealed externally, quite troublesome situations would have arisen.

The judgment of the man, no, Mu-yak, was correct.

This man, called Mu-yak, was the closest confidant among Na Yul-ryang’s trusted subordinates.

No, he was also the only one with whom Na Yul-ryang interacted freely, regardless of their status.

“What are you going to do?”

“Huh?”

“The eye can’t be helped, but even if you use a healing technique, it will take a month for the broken bones to recover.”

“…”

“Can you endure until you’re fully healed?”

“Endure? No.”

That was impossible.

Apart from his own injuries, if that guy wasn’t dealt with now, there was a high probability that he would become quite troublesome.

He had witnessed him gaining enlightenment and surpassing the wall right before his eyes.

He possessed monstrous talent, not inferior to himself.

At present, he might have the upper hand, but if such a guy was left alone, he would continue to grow.

‘I want to kill him myself, but.’

That would be inefficient for now.

There was no need to act emotionally.

Anyway, since that guy had also received help from the Poison King, Elder Baek Sa-ha, there would be no complaints if he moved them.

“Convey this to the old man.”

“You’re going to do it after all.”

“I don’t have time to wait until I’m fully healed.”

At his words, Mu-yak shook his head as if he had expected it and said,

“Of course you wouldn’t. But before that, it would be better to hear this first.”

“This first? If it’s not an urgent matter…”

“I think it’s urgent.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems the movements of the Second Young Master, Jang Neung-ak, and the Young Lady, Wi So-yeon, are suspicious.”

At those words, Na Yul-ryang scoffed.

“Leave them be. Those guys are not important. Rather…”

“It seems they are trying to join hands.”

“…What?”

At those words, Na Yul-ryang frowned.

What does this mean?

Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon are trying to join hands?

“Why is that?”

They were practically nemeses.

Both Jang Neung-ak and Wi So-yeon were desperate to become the successor.

Why would they suddenly join hands?

However, it didn’t end there.

“I thought the same at first, but while you were unconscious, the situation became more complicated.”

“Became complicated?”

“Yes, last night, all the executives supporting the two disciples gathered for a meeting. But they weren’t the only ones.”

“If not only them, then someone else was there too?”

“The Poison King and the Shadow Clan Master also joined the gathering.”

‘!?’

At those words, Na Yul-ryang’s expression stiffened.

Not only did all the executives supporting the Second Young Master Jang Neung-ak and the Young Lady Wi So-yeon gather for a meeting, but the Poison King and the Shadow Clan Master also joined?

“…These bastards.”

Their support factions had been at a level not even worth keeping in check one by one.

However, if the Three of the Five Kings, Bright Blade King, Destroying-AxeKing, Annihilation Poison King, the Two of the Three Elders, Shadow Clan Master, Water Clan Elder, and the Two of the Four Valley Masters, Summoning Sound Valley Master and Sun Rock Valley Master, combined their forces, the situation would be different.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that these alone had gathered a force slightly exceeding 50% of the sect’s power.

‘How did they?’

It was a situation that was utterly incomprehensible.

These people had different goals, so they weren’t the type to join hands like the two disciples.

But they suddenly decided to join hands?

This was…

“It seems they are determined to properly confront you.”

“…Properly confront me?”

“Yes. Otherwise, they couldn’t have so cleverly taken advantage of this situation where you suffered serious injuries.”

“…”

“It doesn’t make sense for that old bastard Poison King to have done this to prepare for the situation that will unfold after you wake up.”

‘!?’

The moment he heard those words, something flashed through Na Yul-ryang’s mind.

It was none other than Mok Gyeong-un’s face.

‘Ha?’

Come to think of it, that guy Mok Gyeong-un had also become Elder Baek Sa-ha’s disciple.

If he was the joint disciple of the Shadow Clan Master and the Poison King, he could simultaneously move the two of them.

Now the picture was somewhat coming together.

He didn’t know how he had persuaded the disciples, who were like oil and water, but the one who had created this situation wasn’t them.

“Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Pardon?”

“That guy Mok Gyeong-un is the one who orchestrated this.”

“…What are you talking about? If you mean Mok Gyeong-un, isn’t he the disciple from the righteous faction hostage that the Shadow Clan Master recently accepted?”

“Yes, that guy did it.”

At Na Yul-ryang’s confident words, Mu-yak spoke with an incomprehensible tone,

“Eldest Young Master… Even so, that seems a bit far-fetched. What can that youngster, who has only been the Shadow Clan Master’s disciple for a little over half a month, possibly do…”

“That youngster did this to me.”

“A youngster did this to you… Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said that guy did this to me.”

‘!!!!!!!!’

At those words, Mu-yak was so shocked that he stared at Na Yul-ryang with wide eyes.

What is happened does this mean?

It wasn’t the Poison King who inflicted these serious injuries?

“…That’s impossible. Even if he passed the Corpse Blood Valley’s gate as the top disciple, he would be at most at the Danju level, so how could such a youngster…”

“He surpassed the wall during our fight.”

“Wall?”

Mu-yak was dumbfounded.

For a moment, he doubted his own ears.

Wasn’t that righteous faction hostage youngster only seventeen years old?

“What do you mean by wall? That can’t be. Surpassing the wall means…”

“He has reached the Transformation Realm.”

At his words, Mu-yak stared intently at Na Yul-ryang.

It was definitely not a joke.

No, in the first place, Na Yul-ryang never joked.

There was no way these words coming from his mouth could be false.

Mu-yak shook his head as if he was disgusted and said,

“If that’s true, his growth rate is unbelievably fast. He surpassed the wall during a fight? This is really…”

Although he couldn’t finish his words, what he was trying to say was clear.

Monster.

He had surpassed the limits of an ordinary human.

The only beings Mu-yak considered as such were his lord, Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang, and that guy who was called the strongest among the Five Tigers.

But now, another monster had appeared, so it was truly a calamity.

Mu-yak, who was dumbfounded, barely managed to speak,

“Are you really certain that this Mok Gyeong-un orchestrated this situation?”

“…”

Although he didn’t answer, Na Yul-ryang was certain.

That guy was of the same kind as himself.

This wasn’t a move that could come from the minds of the two disciples or a stubborn old man like the Poison King.

It was a move to keep him in check, no, to confront him.

‘You, who are not even the disciples, want to have a proper duel with me?’

He truly had guts.

“Ha…”

“Eldest Young Master?”

“Ha… Hahahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Na Yul-ryang, who had been frowning, burst into crazy laughter.

At that sight, Mu-yak couldn’t hide his puzzlement.

If what Na Yul-ryang said was true, this was a very serious matter.

But why was he laughing like this?

In the first place, he had rarely shown such laughter, so it seemed he was revealing it after a very long time.

After laughing for a while, Na Yul-ryang stopped.

Then,

“Not bad.”

“…What is?”

-Swoosh!

At that moment, with a tremendous spirit and murderous intent, Na Yul-ryang’s entire body emanated.

“It will be worth killing him.”

Finally, a prey worth hunting had appeared.

Na Yul-ryang genuinely felt the thrill of the hunt.

To think that an enemy worth staking everything on and crushing had emerged like this from within.

This sense of elation was the first in a long time since that day.

Na Yul-ryang looked at Mu-yak and said,

“From now on, I will enter the Nine Palace Seclusion Chamber to recover and revive my senses.”

“What? The Nine Palace Seclusion Chamber?”

Mu-yak couldn’t hide his inner surprise.

Recovery was, of course, necessary, but entering the Nine Palace Seclusion Chamber meant that he would train in some way.

“It won’t take long. Mu-yak, in the meantime, persuade all the remaining executives who claim to be neutral.”

At those words, Mu-yak’s eyes sparkled.

He had been worried that he might lose his motivation due to the serious injuries.

But if it was to this extent, there was no need to worry.

Rather, it seemed that Mok Gyeong-un had made a mistake.

Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang had already considered the disciples to be no match for him, so he had stopped increasing his power or keeping them in check.

Such a lord had acknowledged Mok Gyeong-un as prey and an enemy.

This was nothing short of the worst omen for that guy.

***

Meanwhile, around the same time.

In a deep forest near Changning, Hengyan Province.

Mok Gyeong-un, Seop Chun, the Third Captain Commander of the main building, and Mong Mu-yak, the son of the Vice-Leader, who had been traveling north for three days without proper rest, using lightness skills to match the gathering time at the assembly point, decided to camp here for the first time to replenish their stamina.

They had divided their roles and briefly separated from each other.

Since the surroundings were damp, probably due to rain, Mong Mu-yak went deeper into the mountains to find dry firewood, Mok Gyeong-un went hunting for a meal, and Seop Chun took charge of arranging the campsite and preparing traps around it in case of an emergency.

-Snap!

Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the neck of the rabbit he had spotted and twisted it.

For Mok Gyeong-un, who had lived in the mountains for a long time, night hunting wasn’t a difficult task.

He already had two rabbits hanging from his left hand that he had caught earlier.

“This should be enough, right?”

“Yes. Rabbit meat… I want to eat it after a long time.”

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Is that so? Then I’ll knock one of them unconscious, so do you want to possess them for a while and have a meal?”

“Hoo. Should I?”

She had been feeling stuffy being inside the wooden puppet for too long.

She wanted to possess someone and have a meal for a change, like when she was at the Yeon Mok Sword Manor.

With that, Mok Gyeong-un returned to the designated campsite.

Seop Chun seemed to have experience with this as well, as he had arranged the surroundings well.

“He hasn’t come back yet.”

It seemed Mong Mu-yak was still gathering firewood.

It wouldn’t be easy to find dry branches since the wood was wet.

However,

“…Why is that guy staring at us so burdensomely?”

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

That was because as soon as Mok Gyeong-un appeared, Seop Chun had been staring intently at him with a suspicious expression, as if he was anxious about something.

“Hmm.”

It didn’t seem to be because he was hungry.

If he were hungry, he should have looked at the rabbits brought back from hunting.

“Do you know that mortal guy has been glancing at you continuously for three days?”

“More or less.”

It would have been strange not to notice when he was staring like that.

So he had been somewhat wary, wondering if he had received a secret order from the Society Leader or the Vice-Leader.

Right at that moment,

Seop Chun looked around and suddenly got up and approached Mok Gyeong-un.

He didn’t know what he was doing, but,

-Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un brought his index and middle fingers together to form a sword finger seal.

If he were to do something unnecessary, it would be better to deal with it in advance.

However,

“Mok Gyeong-un.”

“Why are you doing this?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Seop Chun approached within five steps and scratched his head as if he was embarrassed about something, and said,

“I’m quite shy about these things, but…”

“Shy?”

“Yes. Bringing this up first to a friend younger than me is quite embarrassing.”

“…What do you want to say?”

“Whoa. Don’t be so impatient. I said it’s embarrassing.”

“…”

Why on earth was he acting like this?

While he was puzzled, Seop Chun cleared his throat and said to Mok Gyeong-un,

“Ahem. If you become the Society Leader’s disciple, wouldn’t you need a loyal subordinate to be your right-hand man?”

‘!?’