“Dead?”

“… yes.”

The Ten Thousand People Clan’s Military General, Ho Ga-Myung, placed the brush he was holding on the inkstone. Then, he took the stick, bit it, and lightly rubbed his fingers together to light it.

Even though he only puffed a few times, the acrid smoke soon began to rise.

“Phew.”

He blew out the long puff from the smoke stick and looked at the person with an expression that didn’t change at all.

“The ones we sent to Namchang?”

“Yes.”

“Whom did I send?”

“It was Mak-wi and Heo Hyung.”

“Mak-wi and Heo Hyung….”

Kiik. Kiiik.

He mumbled and leaned back slightly, causing the chair to screech. A low voice came from Ho Ga-Myung’s mouth as he looked at the ceiling with half-open eyes.

“That is odd. Is there anyone there capable of killing them? No, even if someone like that happened to visit, it would be odd. They didn’t subdue the opponent and cut our men’s heads off? Even after hearing the name of the Ten Thousand People Clan?”

“…”

Thick smoke dispersed in the air.

“Who is that?”

“That…”

The messenger slowly lifted his head to see the expression of Ho Ga-Myung and then stuttered as he spoke.

“That… it probably…”

“Do not waste time; I am a busy person.”

“Yes. It seems like they were from Mount Hua.”

There was a moment of silence, and the crackling smoke stick died down, too.

Ho Ga-Myung, who had been staring at the ceiling, slowly lowered his head and looked straight at the person who reported.

“Mount Hua?”

“Yes. According to what I found, the disciples of Mount Hua had reached there.”

“… why did these people who are supposed to be in Shaanxi suddenly appear there? And no matter how strong Mount Hua is, they couldn’t defeat our men that easily. So, who came?”

“Mount-Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon…”

That was when Ho Ga-Myung burst into laughter.

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon?”

“Yes. It seems so. That guy leads the Five Swords of Mount Hua….”

“…this is ludicrous.”

It seemed like there was a bitter tie between Mount Hua and the Ten Thousand People Clan. Every time something happened, he couldn’t stop hearing their name.

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon suddenly appears from Shaanxi, comes to Namchang, and kills our two warriors?”

Ho Ga-Myung’s face, which was laughing, turned cold.

“This is tantamount to declaring war against the Ten Thousand People Clan. Even though the clan leader personally went and showed kindness to Mount Hua, he still comes out here and there to do this?”

He didn’t know what the others thought, but for Ho Ga-Myung, it was a great show of goodwill for their leader to visit the distant Mount Hua.

“How did you get the information?”

“T-that is a bit strange.”

“Hmm?”

“After hearing the circumstances, it seems that they didn’t know our men were there. It just was, things got twisted….”

“Twisted? What does that mean?”

The man began to carefully explain, and the face of Ho Ga-Myung contorted after hearing it.

They came here to catch someone faking them and ran into them by chance. And so, Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon cut down our men, who attacked him first.

In this case, it would be tough to say it was Mount Hua’s fault.

“…that man is a pain in the ass.”

Ho Ga-Myung sighed.

He was about to pick up the brush he had put down when there was a knock on the door, and a person rushed in. He immediately fell down next to the first messenger.

“Military general! I have something to report.”

“…what now?”

“M-Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon….”

Ho Ga-Myung tilted his head and grabbed it.

Just how many times did he have to listen to this name?

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon?”

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon has come to Guangdong!”

Kwang!

The chair fell back. Ho Ga-Myung jumped up from his place and asked back with a face that didn’t hide his shock.

“What did you say?”

“We have a report that the disciples of Mount Hua and Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon have entered Guangdong…”

“You sure?”

“It is difficult to say for sure as there aren’t many people who know Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, but there was certainly a group of people with uniforms with plum blossom patterns on them.”

“…They came from Namchang?”

“Yes, they did.”

Ho Ga-Myung bit the smoke stick and inhaled deeply. As the scent of tobacco lingered in his lungs, his shaken heart began to calm down.

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon… hmm.”

Finally, Ho Ga-Myung nodded.

“The clan leader still needs him. So now isn’t the time to catch and kill him.”

“Then…”

“But.”

Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes grew cold.

“He will have to pay the price for disrupting the events of the Ten Thousand People Clan and entering our territory without fear. Even if we let Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon live, does it matter if we kill the other disciples of Mount Hua who came with him?”

“…”

“I will go myself. Get them all ready.”

“Yes!”

Ho Ga-Myung frowned and was lost in thought.

‘You need to be moderately put in fear.’

If not, it would be better to make Mount Hua drown in fury.

Either way, it wasn’t bad for the Ten Thousand People Clan.

“Ugh. I don’t think it is here.”

“…A-again?”

“That is odd. I definitely think that this is the way… it’s the other way around. Maybe I got it wrong?”

Hearing the old man’s mumbling, Jin Yang-Geon felt the sky turn yellow and stumbled.

As expected, he was now riding a mountain carrying this old man for the fourth time in his life.

If there was a clear destination, he would muster the strength to move. However, if he went there because he was sure it was here, he was told he was mistaken. When he went there because he was told it was the other place, the same hellish hit-and-run scenario he had mentioned earlier would occur.

“Ugh. Uncle! You said you remembered.”

“No, that… I remember the sight clearly, but I don’t know how to get there….”

“How can a person who has climbed the mountain his whole life not know?”

“Yah, you bastard! You will grow old, too!”

The old man Pyo, who was on the young man’s back, shouted and hit Jin Yang-Geon on the head.

Yoon Jong, who was watching the two, mumbled softly to Baek Cheon.

“But, I am glad.”

“What?”

“If it were normal, that guy would have gone insane and run amok, but today he is quiet.”

“Right.”

It wasn’t difficult at all to imagine. This was a scene where Chung Myung would normally lose his cool and even stick his head in the face of the old man, almost hitting him to make him remember.

But fortunately, the current Chung Myung wasn’t showing any particular reaction.

“Isn’t it because he is showing respect to the old man?”

“That bastard attacks an old one when he sees one.”

“…”

Ah, right.

Until now, everyone who had been beaten by Chung Myung, including the Ice Palace elders, Wudang elders, and elders of the Demonic Sect, too? They were beyond the level of an old man and were at the level of a living corpse.

“Anyway, I am glad he’s not his usual self. I am glad he didn’t get into trouble…”

It was then.

Jo Gul, who had been moving in front, distorted his face and walked to old man Pyo.

“Uh?”

“Ah?”

He got in front of the old man and shouted.

“You old man! If you are senile and losing sense, you should have told me in advance! Why are you making so many people exhausted by making them follow you! Do you even know the time now? You are just fucking with me…”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes, sasuk!”

“Kill him.”

“Yes!”

Yoon Jong rushed ahead like lightning, lifted himself up, and hit Jo Gul on the back of the head with his knee.

“Kuak!”

As Jo Gul fell in front of him, Yoon Jong got on top of him and began to hit Jo Gul on the back of his head.

“Die! Even that idiot didn’t jump, so why are you doing this?! Why! Just die!”

“Ack! ACKK! ACKK! Sahyung! Ack!”

Seeing him swing his waist sharply and launch his foot, it seemed like he learned it from watching somewhere. Baek Cheon, who was happily looking at the scene, flinched for a moment and shook his head.

One cannot look at this happily. Even so, weren’t they all Taoists?

Jo Gul screamed while clutching the back of his head with both hands.

“Ah! It isn’t like I said something wrong! Ack! Sahyung, my waist! My waist is breaking! Ack, my back! Don’t step on it…”

“Just die, you bastard!”

Yoon Jong, who had trampled Jo Gul like a cleaning cloth, stood up in a gasp and sighed as he said,

“People tend to get more serious as they get older, but how can each day be so new for you, you moron?”

“… it seems like sahyung is the one turning more and more violent.”

“It is all because of whom! Brat!”

When Yoon Jong raised his hand, Jo Gul flinched and covered his head.

Baek Cheon looked at them and sighed.

‘That guy, too.’

It was awkward for Chung Myung to be silent all this while with the same stiff expression on his face. Whether it worked or not, it was better for everyone to keep their mouths shut.

Sure enough, Jo Gul patted the back of his head where he was hit and took a quick look at Chung Myung’s face.

Baek Cheon, too, looked at Chung Myung and called in a low voice,

“Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“What do we do? The sun is setting soon.”

“Hmm.”

“It is a place that couldn’t be found even in broad daylight. Wouldn’t it be harder to see once the sun sets? I guess we will have to take a break today.”

Chung Myung slowly stroked his chin as if deep in thought and then asked the old man.

“Elder.”

“Uh?”

“Anyway, does this mean that the place where the chest was discovered is around here?”

“Ahm, yes.”

Old man Pyo nodded repeatedly and tapped Jin Yang-Geon on the shoulder.

“Drop me off.”

“Okay….”

As Jin Yang-Geon sat down as if he had been waiting for those words, the old man got down and looked around.

“I don’t remember it exactly, but I am sure it was somewhere on the mountain or the mountain next to it. If we look around for a day or so tomorrow, you will be able to find it.”

Chung Myung looked back at the mountain which old man Pyo pointed to and nodded.

“Could you tell me more about the situation at that time?”

“Ah, that….”

The old man scratched his head as he said,

“It was so long ago that I don’t remember the exact details, but I remember that the animal caught at that time was a fox.”

“Fox?”

“Yes. I found this fox in front of me and so I shot it right away since it held something in its mouth. I thought it had hunted a mountain animal like a rabbit, but when I went to the spot after shooting it, I found no prey but a book.”

Chung Myung frowned and asked,

“And you brought that to this person?”

“Yes, yes. Actually, I couldn’t read distant things, so I had no idea what the book had. Still, since it had several pictures of people holding swords, I thought it would be okay if I brought it to that guy.”

Old man Pyo glanced at Jin Yang-Geon and said,

“Still, there were rumors that this guy could read and write and that he was skilled in martial arts or something.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung nodded slowly.

“I see. It will get dark in a little while, so you can just go down here.”

“Uh? We haven’t found it yet….”

“It is okay.”

Old man Pyo glanced at Chung Myung.

“T-then a little while….”

Baek Cheon, who realized what the old man was trying to say, answered.

“You can still receive the labor fee. Thank you for the hard work.”

“Thank you, young ones. Truly, thank you.”

Baek Cheon looked at Jin Yang-Geon with cold eyes and said,

“Take the elder home and stay there. I am telling you in advance, you better not think about running.”

“I-I have no thoughts of doing it! I mean it.”

“Good.”

Jin Yang-Geon bowed his head and carried old man Pyo down the mountain. Baek Cheon, who saw the scene, turned to Chung Myung and asked,

“What do you plan to do?”

“Well, finding that place doesn’t change anything. What is important is that the book was discovered somewhere around here.”

“Hmm.”

“There is no way a mountain animal would have traveled long with a book in its mouth. It probably had to be around here.”

“I see. Then what are we looking for?”

At those words, Chung Myung quietly stared at Baek Cheon. It was a look in his eyes that made it tough to understand what he was thinking.

After a while, Chung Myung’s mouth slowly opened.

“Tomb.”

“…”

“Either that or bones. No, the hem of clothes, or the body… anything is fine.”

He hesitated slightly before adding,

“I know it’s too much. But we have to find at least a trace.”

Everyone nodded with the slightest hesitation.

“Let us divide the area and spread out to search.”

“Yes, sasuk!”

Chung Myung, who was watching everyone divide up and take responsibility in an orderly manner, looked at the darkening mountain. His eyes were dark and sunken.

It had to be somewhere on this mountain.

No.

It was.