Chapter 416 : Deung Hwaun and Hong Ahyul (1)

Chapter 416: Deung Hwaun and Hong Ahyul (1)

"Elder Dong."

Dong-oh silently stared at Eum Sajeok, who had come to the prison to see him.

Even those with personal ties had stayed away out of fear of incurring the wrath of First Young Master Il, so it was odd for someone like Eum Sajeok, who had no such relationship, to come.

"What is it?"

Contrary to the rumors, the Third Young Master he had met a few times recently was quite different.

He wasn’t gloomy or deceitful; rather, he was thoughtful and often helped others behind the scenes.

Dong-oh knew that, in the end, Eum Sajeok had played a part in freeing Hong Ahyul from the First Young Master.

In that regard, Eum Sajeok even seemed more manly than the First Young Master.

"Others might not, but I thought I should inform you about something regarding your junior."

Dong-oh sprang up, thinking something had happened to Hong Ahyul.

"Has Ahyul gotten into trouble?"

Though he was a Demonic Master, Dong-oh treated Hong Ahyul more dearly than even First Young Master Il’s own grandfather did.

"No. She’s been confirmed to be staying at the Heavenly Central Sect, and she seems to be doing well."

"Is that so?"

Dong-oh's face visibly relaxed. Then, looking a bit worried, he asked again.

"But... would Ahyul be ostracized at the Heavenly Central Sect because she’s from the Demonic Path?"

In truth, Eum Sajeok couldn’t know for sure, but he gave Dong-oh the answer he wanted.

"There are many from the Demonic Path at the Heavenly Central Sect. She wouldn't be shunned for that. You know about what happened at the Shaolin Temple, don’t you?"

"Right, right. If it's Yong Hwarin, he’s someone you can trust."

Suddenly, Eum Sajeok became curious about why Dong-oh placed such trust in Yong Hwarin.

"Elder Dong, you seem to trust Yong Hwarin, but in the end, he’s from the orthodox sects. When their honor is at risk, they have a tendency to sever ties. That could happen to her as well. Aren’t you putting too much faith in him?"

Dong-oh looked at Eum Sajeok and chuckled.

"I heard Yong Hwarin kept you hostage for quite a long time, yet he let you go without a scratch. Would someone from the Demonic Path have done that?"

Eum Sajeok had to admit he had a point.

"True. If it were one of us, we’d have tortured you until your body was in rags. You probably wouldn’t even be able to crawl."

"Exactly. To preserve someone’s dignity until the end is not something just anyone can do. It’s not because he’s kind or naive, but because he upholds righteousness and chivalry. I once thought I might die fighting him. But Yong Hwarin let me go simply because he had no reason to kill me. He doesn’t kill recklessly and knows how to help those in need. That’s probably why he has so many Demonic Path followers under him. You might not realize it, but you’ve changed quite a bit yourself. It’s likely because of Yong Hwarin’s influence."

"Me?"

"If you were the same Third Young Master as before, would you have come all the way here to tell me about Ahyul? You wouldn’t have cared."

Eum Sajeok thought for a moment, then nodded.

"That’s true."

He continued.

"But there’s a problem."

"A problem? What kind of problem?"

Dong-oh looked at Eum Sajeok anxiously.

"The Three Elders have taken action to eliminate your junior."

"You mean the Jade Three Elders?"

"Yes."

"Are you saying they’ve gone to the Heavenly Central Sect?"

Eum Sajeok shook his head.

"No. I heard the Jade Three Elders have headed somewhere else."

Dong-oh asked with a tense voice.

"Do you know where?"

"They’re headed to Heochang."

"Ah!"

Dong-oh let out a deep sigh.

'That bastard Jo must’ve tattled about Ahyul’s whereabouts to First Young Master Il without knowing a thing. That bastard probably doesn’t even know Il wants to kill her—so when Il asked, he answered.'

Dong-oh muttered bitterly.

"First Young Master Il... he’s gone too far. Does he really have to go that far with poor Ahyul?"

"Then, I’ll take my leave..."

Eum Sajeok turned to go, leaving Dong-oh behind in his sighs.

"Third Young Master, I have a favor to ask."

Eum Sajeok grinned.

Dong-oh had taken the bait.

Deung Hwaun and Eum Sajeok followed Hong Ahyul in silence.

Deung Hwaun couldn’t speak because her chest ached every time she saw Hong Ahyul.

Eum Sajeok couldn’t speak either, finding the two of them too pitiful to break the silence.

Hong Ahyul, for her part, couldn’t focus on anything but her worry for her younger sibling, and thus remained silent.

Their days consisted only of riding on horseback, bathing at inns, and meditating through internal cultivation—there was no space for conversation.

Because of that, Jong Seok, who didn’t know the situation, was in utter agony.

He couldn’t babble on in this heavy atmosphere, so he had to hold in his frustration.

And so, the four of them arrived at Heochang.

Only Hong Ahyul knew her sibling’s exact location, so she quietly led the way.

She headed toward a small physician’s house on the outskirts of Heochang.

The scent of medicinal herbs wafted down from a hill—at the top sat a modest little manor that appeared to be the place.

As they approached, Eum Sajeok spoke.

"Wait!"

Even Jong Seok had sensed something strange.

"They’re formidable experts."

"You think so too, Lord Jong?"

When Deung Hwaun opened all her inner energy pathways, she felt her skin crawl.

She could immediately tell these weren’t ordinary masters.

Seeing everyone tense up, Hong Ahyul grew uneasy.

If such high-level martial artists were guarding the physician’s house, she knew what that implied.

'Grandfather Dong wouldn’t have spilled about my sibling’s whereabouts…'

But Hong Ahyul realized that if First Young Master Il truly set his mind to it, he could easily track her sibling down.

As Hong Ahyul became visibly agitated, Deung Hwaun gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Hong, calm yourself. We don’t yet know who’s inside, and even if there are experts present, we don’t know their purpose. Let’s confirm first."

Deung Hwaun’s kind comfort helped Hong Ahyul find her composure.

It had been this way since they left.

Deung Hwaun always stayed by her side, and showed up whenever trouble loomed.

She had even once offered to scrub her back during a bath, though Hong Ahyul declined.

But during the second attempt, Deung Hwaun said something that made Hong Ahyul allow it.

‘If I had a daughter, she’d be just your age. You remind me so much of the daughter I lost, Miss Hong.’

With such words, she couldn’t bring herself to reject her.

Besides, staying with a woman around the same age as her late mother brought a strange sense of comfort.

Back at the Heavenly Demon Sect, every woman around her had been a rival.

There was no one she could confide in.

Although she hadn’t been able to speak much on the way to Heochang, just having Deung Hwaun by her side strangely put her at ease.

“I’m the least likely to raise suspicion if I go to the physician’s house.”

Since Deung Hwaun was a woman, she believed she would arouse less suspicion.

“If things seem dangerous, escape back here immediately. I’ll set up a formation here. If we trap them within it, we’ll be able to buy some time.”

“Understood.”

Because it was Hong Ahyul’s younger sibling, who was also like a son to her, she felt uneasy about the eerie energy emanating from the physician’s house.

There was no reason for a normal physician’s place to radiate energy that martial artists would emit.

Upon entering the physician’s house, Deung Hwaun suppressed her energy as much as possible and posed as a middle-aged woman searching for medicinal herbs.

Fortunately, she wasn’t wearing martial attire but ordinary clothes, as she didn’t want to make Hong Ahyul uncomfortable, which made the act even easier.

As she stepped inside, the mixed scent of herbs and blood made her heart race.

Past the front door, as she moved toward the main hall, she saw a man who seemed to be the physician and a young apprentice lying collapsed against the window frame with their necks broken.

‘Cruel bastards. What crime did these physicians commit to deserve such slaughter?’

Even back when she was part of the Demonic Path, Deung Hwaun had never harmed children or physicians, even when killing.

Rounding the hallway, she found two patients in shabby clothes—also with broken necks, dead.

The scent of herbs in the room seemed to come from the medicinal decoctions prepared for them.

From the next room, she felt a massive energy that her own qi couldn’t even measure, causing her to step back in fear.

She considered climbing to the roof to assess the situation.

“What brings you here?”

But the voice that came from behind startled Deung Hwaun.

No matter how skilled an expert might be, she hadn’t expected someone to completely deceive her senses.

‘These people are truly dangerous.’

She suddenly wondered if even joining forces with Eum Sajeok and Jong Seok would be enough to face them.

Both Eum Sajeok and Jong Seok were high-level masters recognized by the entirety of the current Murim.

And yet, it felt like even they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Trembling with fear, Deung Hwaun spoke.

“I came to see the physician.”

At her words, the middle-aged man smirked.

“Didn’t you see he’s dead?”

“I didn’t.”

“We deliberately propped the bodies up at the window so they’d be seen. That way, anyone who saw them would flee. You didn’t see that? Strange.”

Seeing the suspicion in his eyes, Deung Hwaun realized she wouldn’t be able to escape from his grasp.

“Youngest! What’s taking you so long? Bring her in.”

The middle-aged man, called “Youngest,” said to Deung Hwaun,

“Come in. If you try to run, I’ll snap your neck.”

With that, he strode confidently into the room.

Knowing their strength, Deung Hwaun didn’t dare attempt an escape.

‘Since I intended to enter the tiger’s den anyway, I might as well go through with it.’

Feigning fear, Deung Hwaun stepped into the room.

There, a young boy was lying down.

He had been recuperating here for some time.

Though he had been purged of Moonlight Demon Energy, his body and mind had been severely weakened from prolonged exposure, so recovery would take time.

That was why Hong Ahyul had paid the physician to care for her younger brother’s convalescence.

The boy’s complexion had improved greatly compared to before, and he was strong enough to take walks around the physician’s house.

But now, he had been taken hostage by the Three Elders.

“What are you doing here?”

When Second Young Master asked, Deung Hwaun replied,

“I came to see the physician.”

“Why?”

“There’s a sick person at home. I came to get herbs.”

Because of Deung Hwaun’s considerable beauty, the Three Elders exchanged glances.

“You won’t leave this place alive. We plan to kill everyone who’s here.”

Deung Hwaun dropped to her knees and pleaded.

“Please spare me, sirs. I’ve done nothing wrong. I just came to collect herbs. I didn’t see anything—please let me live.”

To anyone, she appeared to be a simple common woman begging for her life.

“Fine. If you give us a little pleasure, we’ll let you live.”

At Second Young Master’s words, Deung Hwaun lowered her head, her face filled with despair.

‘Ah, why are Demonic Path people always the same?’

The problem with the Demonic Path was that they were too faithful to their desires.

To think they could be thinking about fulfilling their lust in a situation like this was baffling.

“Then I’ll survive?”

“Of course. We promise.”

At that moment, First Young Master’s cold voice cut in.

“Hold on. That woman is no ordinary lady.”

“Big Brother, what do you mean?”

“She’s begging for her life, yet her eyes are calmly analyzing the situation. I don’t see fear in those eyes. There’s no way she’s just a regular woman.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”

Second Young Master reached out to check Deung Hwaun’s wrist pulse, suspecting deception.

Sensing that her identity was compromised, Deung Hwaun quickly stepped back.

Seeing her retreat, the Second and Third Young Masters exchanged knowing looks.

“Just as Big Brother said.”

As Second Young Master murmured, Third Young Master asked,

“Who are you?”

Deung Hwaun regretted not having Jiangshi Poison on hand, something that would have been useful in a moment like this.

She had discarded all her poisons while traveling with Yong Hwarin and the others, and now, she sorely missed them.

“I... I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Unable to mask the look in her eyes, Deung Hwaun continued her act, trembling like a frightened woman.

“She’s not someone who’ll talk easily. Second, we’ll need to catch her and make her talk.”

At First Young Master’s words, Second Young Master nodded.

“Understood, Big Brother.”