Hwang Jongi and Do Un-Chan emerged from the sect leader’s residence and walked briskly alongside Un Am.

Chung Myung would come either way if they waited at the designated place. Still, the reason Hwang Jongi followed Un Am was that he wanted to inform Chung Myung about the situation as soon as possible.

Besides, there might be things he couldn’t say when too many people were present.

Do Un-Chan, who was trailing Un Am, slowly opened his mouth.

“Taoist Un Am.”

“Yes, clan leader.”

“How has young Taoist Chung Myung been doing all this while?”

“… How… you ask?”

When Un Am asked back as if he didn’t understand the question, Do Un-Chan elaborated a little.

“I saw him briefly some time ago during the opening ceremony of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, but some time has passed since then. Is Taoist Chung Myung still the same?”

“…”

The word ‘still’ carried a lot of weight.

If it were about other people, it would be nothing more than asking how they were. Still, if the person in question was Chung Myung, the meaning was bound to be very different. Un Am answered after much thought.

“… I think it would be better to check that yourself.”

“…”

At that moment, a group of Mount Hua disciples approached Un Am and bowed their heads.

“We greet sasuk.”

“What happened this early in the morning?”

“We are just returning from training.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong.

Un Am, who recognized their faces, nodded.

“You all should head to the sect leader’s residence. Sect leader is… no, no, just follow me now.”

“Uh?”

To the three people who didn’t know what was going on, Un Am explained roughly what was happening. Then, the faces of the three turned dumbfounded.

“So, are you on your way to pick up Chung Myung now?”

“Yes.”

“… I will take you there.”

“Me too.”

“Somehow…”

The three had a determined look. Rather, it made Hwang Jongi and Do Un-Chan more anxious.

“Sasuk! Can you bring in more people?”

“The sun hasn’t risen yet. Could it be that something big happened? He still should… no, I guess many would do.”

“He should be in the White Plum Blossom Hall, so wouldn’t it be fine? If needed, we can call people right away.”

“…the one staying in the room next to Chung Myung cannot be normal. How can you trust them?”

“My room is next to Chung Myung, though?”

“You are fine.”

Jo Gul tried to protest with an aggrieved expression, but Baek Cheon firmly shook his head and said to Un Am as if it wasn’t the time to play with Jo Gul.

“Let’s go, sasuk. Do not worry. No matter what happens, I will definitely protect sasuk.”

“…I am so grateful for that.”

Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Jo Gul surrounded Un Am as if they were guarding him and began to walk. Hwang Jongi laughed like it was absurd, but the eyes of Do Un-Chan changed.

‘This…’

He could feel it.

He couldn’t pinpoint it, but the qi radiating from the three people was surely different than before.

If he felt a unique vitality before, then what should I say now…

‘It feels deeper?’

Looking at them from before reminded him of fast-flowing valley water. It looked extremely clear, clean, and untouched.

Of course, that feeling hadn’t vanished. However, unlike in the past, he felt a greater sense of stability. It’s as if water was flowing cheerfully down a mountain and meeting the plains, with the river becoming wider.

‘The sect leader, too, felt different. Did they all grow so much in this time?’

Do Un-Chan was surprised again by this change, but…

“First, I will hold the shoulders and tighten the legs.”

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to just start by scratching him?”

“Can we pull out the real sword? If we hit him with the sword sheath, not a single seed will work.”

“Let’s think about it for a bit. If necessary, I will pull it out.”

An illusion?

Hmm, he must be mistaken.

Do Un-Chan shook his head.

As they arrived at the hall, a hint of tension appeared on their faces.

Shhh.

“No, Gul, why are you drawing the sword beforehand?”

“… it will be too late later.”

“Just calm down.”

Baek Cheon, who was at the forefront, took a deep breath. And at that moment, when he took a deep breath to shout something in a confident voice—

Kuak! Kuak! Kuak!

Bow! Bowbowbowbow!

A noise rang out.

Do Un-Chan and Hwang Jongi looked around, quite flustered.

“No, suddenly I heard a dog….”

“You keep dogs here too?”

“…”

Baek Cheon, who felt his grip on his anxiety disappear, let his shoulders drop.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes.”

The door burst open.

Eventually, everyone tilted their heads at the sight before their eyes.

‘… what am I even looking at?’

‘Is this some dream?’

Everyone was speechless and looked ahead in confusion.

Chung Myung, whom they knew so well, was sitting crookedly in a chair, almost lying down with his feet up on the table.

It was a face that looked like he would fall asleep at any moment due to drowsiness, but actually, it was a facial expression that he always had, so there was nothing new about it.

And there was nothing unusual about the pure white gourd in his hand. It would be quicker to count the days until the bottle fell from his hand.

The problem wasn’t Chung Myung but the guy in front of him.

‘What is this?’

Do Un-Chan blinked.

A… small, white…

‘Cat?’

No, not that. It ain’t a cat… not even a dog.

‘A marten?’

Right. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a marten. However, the marten, as white as snow, was dressed in black clothes, which weren’t characteristic of an animal.

The sight of the cute little front paws sticking out of the bulky clothes was so cute that he wanted to bite them.

The Plum Blossom pattern engraved on the middle of it proved that this was a cloth designed specifically for the beast.

‘A marten in clothes.’

This alone would be absurd, but what was even more embarrassing was the current situation of the marten wearing that outfit.

‘Why is the marten bowing its head and putting its hands behind its back?’

No, before that, was it possible for a marten to assume such a position? Could anyone else do that?

He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

No, even if he saw it, he wouldn’t actually believe it.

“Ugh, you are lowering your arms again.”

Kiik.

“Right, look down. Look down. It is getting colder, and I think I need a scarf.”

The marten’s arm, which had been slowly lowering, suddenly shot up again. As the merchant, who had a perfect posture, raised their hips, Chung Myung, who was gulping his drink, frowned.

“I told you to do it right, didn’t I?”

Kiiik.

“No. What kind of bastards bark at all hours of the day and night? I told you to be quiet when the sun goes down, right? I am already upset because of the many dogs wandering around Mount Hua. Should I be waking up to the dog sounds? Uh?”

“…”

Di Un-Chan and Hwang Jongi, who were watching this scene, smiled.

‘I don’t get it.’

‘I shouldn’t even try to understand.’

The scene unfolding before their eyes was clearly beyond common sense, and they had no idea what to say.

“What? Divine beast? Divine beasts, my ass! What kind of divine beast cannot even handle dogs…? What? What brat? What are you even doing for the food Mount Hua is giving you? You should be doing something like that! Animals that don’t work cannot eat! Just do it!”

Right. Those were the right words.

Be it animal or human, you needed to work for the food you took.

But it felt strange to hear that from the mouth of a guy who was half lying on the chair and sipping alcohol with an expression that seemed like everything in the world was bothering him.

Moreover, wasn’t it equally bizarre for those who heard that?

“Stand up.”

The marten, who heard that, jumped up. The marten straightened her body in full military form, waiting for Chung Myung’s next words.

“I am watching you.”

Ack!

“Next time, if I hear a dog while I am sleeping, you will be down doing this till the end. Get it?”

The marten nodded her head too fast.

“To the location!”

As soon as he said it, the marten ran out of the hall. Not long after, the sad screams of the dog came from outside.

“Tsk. I have to say everything…”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and turned his head, widening his eyes.

“Uh? When did you come?”

“…”

“Uh? The young master is here, too? Uh? Clan leader, too? What is it today? From this early hour?”

“…”

“Ugh, nice to meet you.”

“…”

Until they arrived here, they had a lot to say. So much so that they couldn’t even figure out what to say.

But now they couldn’t even think of anything to say. They said people turned speechless when they saw something absurd, and that was exactly the case now.

“But what is it with you two?”

“Ah, that…”

The two people were speechless and naturally turned to look at Un Am.

Un Am sighed and took a step forward.

“Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“… there is a problem.”

“… so.”

His eyes were smiling, right? Surely, those eyes were smiling.

The corners of the eyes twitched constantly. Moreover, the corners of the lips were constantly pulling up, trembling, and it seemed like no one could call this a ‘smile’.

“Who touched what?”

“… as you heard….”

When Chung Myung asked, closing his eyes tightly, Hwang Jongi answered.

“The pirates are following…”

“… so…”

Chung Myung slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, which had been curved like a moon, were now shining like a poisonous snake.

‘… I want to pee.’

‘Why do his pupils look so small today?’

‘If he had gone to the Evil Sect, wouldn’t he have achieved twice the success there? Why did that bastard have to come here?’

Just his facial expression and eyes were enough to make them doubt his aptitude. Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

“The Yangtze River pirates are now going after my money… and they touched the hyungs too?”

Everyone tried to ignore the true feelings of Chung Myung, which suddenly surged.

“Yes. I think we should discuss the situation together.”

“Discussion? What is there to discuss?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

“Giving someone else’s money… no, if you lay hands on a friend, it is the law of Kangho to cast the enemy away! What else is there to discuss? We should go and catch them and throw them all into the water!”

“…”

“They are pirates?”

Every time Chung Myung bent his neck to the left or right, an eerie sound came.

“Now, we have taken care of the bandits running around. Ah, yes. Let’s turn the Yangtze River into the Sea of Blood. The fish must be very hungry.”

Who was the Taoist, and who was the pirate here?

Everyone had no choice but to suffer from such fundamental questions.

Chung Myung jumped up from his place and grabbed his Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, which was hanging next to him.

“Sect leader.”

“Uh?”

“You said there are those still missing, right?”

“… yes.”

Chung Myung’s face turned grim.

“Let us hurry then. If we move quickly, we might be able to save at least one person.”

With those words, Chung Myung left the hall without another word, and the Mount Hua disciples, who were looking at him in silence, nodded and followed.