"Then, take care."
"Stay well."

Leaving behind Louju's farewell, Seo-jun stepped out of the pavilion while reviewing the mechanics of the trap mechanism in his head.

'The level isn't that impressive... but if they really built it properly, it could be quite a headache.'

It probably wouldn't just stop at simple traps like the ones he'd just seen.

Though he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he figured that formations would likely be combined with the traps at that level.

If it were the Six Great Families or the Nine Sects, their defenses would be thoroughly set up like this.

For an average martial artist, they might end up dead before even getting a chance to fight, falling victim to such traps.

He thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to surround his future house with Chunbong, filled to the brim with mechanisms and formations, when they eventually settled down.

"Hmm. Good."

Seo-jun nodded in satisfaction as he tucked one scroll into his chest and unfolded the other.

"Let's see..."

Feeling dizzy from the flood of characters on the scroll, Seo-jun promptly handed it over to Chunbong.

"Read it for me."

"You little... seriously..."

Chunbong looked at Seo-jun with an expression full of complaints.

What was she supposed to do with him? After pondering for a moment, Chunbong quickly realized there was no point in arguing and began reading the contents of the scroll.

"Hmm."

After speed-reading through the scroll, Chunbong summarized the information.

"This is about the Saheukryeon. It seems like a war might break out as early as this year. The expected battleground is from the Habukpaeng family to the west, near the Yellow River. Most factions of the Seven Evil Black Gates (칠사흑문) aren't opposed to the war, so it looks like the majority of Saheukryeon's forces will participate."

"The Seven Evil Black Gates?"

"Yeah. Like the Six Great Families or the Nine Sects."

"Ah."

It seemed they were some of the more notable groups in the unorthodox factions. Or at least, the significant ones within Saheukryeon.

Seo-jun scratched his head and pulled out the remaining scroll.

"And this one?"

He immediately handed it to Chunbong again, who glared at him but, without a word, started reading the scroll.

Our Chunbong is such a tsundere.

As Seo-jun chuckled to himself, Chunbong quickly finished reading and clicked her tongue.

"This one isn't really worth getting your hopes up."

"Why not?"

Seo-jun asked, but Chunbong stuck out her tongue teasingly and handed the scroll to Namgung Sua.

After speed-reading through it, Namgung Sua blinked in surprise.

"Oh my. Indeed, it's not much to look forward to."

"Wait, what? Why am I the only one left out?!"

As Seo-jun started to protest, Namgung Sua chuckled and handed the scroll back to him.

"It seems there’s a place nearby suspected to be a 'Bidong,' but it's not clear what's inside. Judging by the fact that it's still standing, it probably isn't anything extraordinary."

Without even reading the scroll, Seo-jun tucked it back into his chest and nodded.

"But if it’s nothing impressive, wouldn’t less skilled martial artists have looted it by now?"

"It seems the entrance is blocked by some kind of unusual rock."

"Oh."

That sounded like there might actually be something there.

"And the location?"

"There's a map on the scroll."

"Ah."

Seo-jun quickly pulled out the scroll again and handed it over to Chunbong.

"Look at the map for me."

"Oh, for crying out loud... at least try it yourself, you brat!"

"Aing."

"What are you going to do without me?"

"I can’t do without you, Chunbong. I won’t let you get married!"

"...Alright, give it here."

Chunbong, now seemingly in a slightly better mood, examined the map.

However, the surrounding area suddenly became quite noisy.

It was natural for there to be some noise with so many people around, but this seemed a bit different from just a large crowd.

"Seems like something’s going on?"

At Seo-jun's remark, Namgung Sua nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Shall we go check it out?"

"Let’s."

Seo-jun picked up the focused Chunbong, who was still examining the map, and began to walk.

• What the heck is that?
• Geez, who would have thought something like this would happen in Hanam?
• That guy sure has guts.

As they wove through the murmuring crowd, Seo-jun lifted Chunbong up over his head.

"Goldie, see anything?"

"Lift me a bit higher."

"Like this?"

Seo-jun stood on his tiptoes, allowing Chunbong to stretch her neck and scan the scene ahead.

"That’s... "

Smack-smack! Chunbong slapped Seo-jun’s hand, and he set her down on the ground.

"Let’s go."

Chunbong decisively began pushing through the crowd.

"Hey, don’t shove!"

"Who’s that?!"

The people grumbled, but none could stop Chunbong, who was already at a high level in her martial arts.

When the group finally pushed their way through the throng, Seo-jun raised an eyebrow at what they found.

"Oh..."

"It’s a mummy," Namgung Sua remarked.

Indeed, it was a mummy—moknae-i, as she had said. A dried-up corpse lay in the alley, not too far from the main street.

Seo-jun crouched down to examine the mummy.

Though he wasn’t an expert, something about the mummy felt strangely familiar.

It was dark and eerie, but also oddly comforting and gentle.

As he stared at the strange aura, seemingly entranced, Namgung Sua let out a quiet sigh.

"It’s magi... It seems a madu has truly made their way into Hanam."

"Magi? This?"

"Yes. It’s a sinister, sticky, and foul energy. That’s what magi is."

Foul? It didn’t seem that bad... If anything, it felt... cute.

As Seo-jun scratched his head while watching the magi swirl around, he muttered internally, 'You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you? Seems like bad luck follows you everywhere, huh?'

Setting aside his unusual tastes, it was clear that if someone as kind-hearted as Namgung Sua said this, then other martial artists would likely view the magi much more harshly.

"Please step aside!"

"Pardon us, it’s urgent, please move, benefactor."

While Seo-jun was mentally comforting the magi, a group of glowing figures approached them.

"Ugh... my eyes! What sorcery is this...?!"

"They’re just bald, dude. Relax!"

A group of bald monks approached the group.

"Amitabha. It seems we meet again, benefactor."

Among them was Hyewoon.

Hyewoon bowed slightly, then his face twisted in disgust as he looked at the mummy.

"That madu has committed this atrocity once again."

"Hyewoon."

"...I apologize."

The rebuking monk, tall with long hair, stepped forward. Despite being bald himself, his beard was long.

"Benefactor, did you happen to witness anything?"

Seo-jun glanced around. It seemed the monk was addressing him.

"No, I just got here myself."

"I see. We’ll need to examine the body, so please give us a moment."

"Ah, sure."

Stepping aside, Seo-jun moved closer to Hyewoon.

"Who is that?"

"He’s my master, the Great Monk Jiam."

"Ah."

Though he didn’t fully understand, Seo-jun nodded, getting a sense of it.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"This incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Shaolin. We cannot trouble you further, benefactor."

"I see."

After watching Jiam examine the mummy for a while, Seo-jun gave a nod toward Chunbong and Namgung Sua.

"Shall we get going?"

There wasn’t much more they could learn from looking at the mummy, and there was no need to play detective.

They offered a brief farewell to the Shaolin monks and resumed their journey.

"Is that Bidong thing nearby?"

At Seo-jun’s question, Chunbong nodded.

"It’s close."

"I get it now. By 'close,' you mean about three or four days away, right?"

"What are you talking about? It won’t even take a full day."

"...What."

What exactly does ‘near’ mean in the martial world?

Apparently, anything within a week's journey is considered ‘close.’ It was baffling.

"Anyway, let’s get going."

And so, the Chunbong Elixir Exploration Team set off.

 

The Luju of the Haomun Hunan Branch, seated in the quiet hall of Hyeonwolru, closed his eyes as he sensed an approaching presence.

Something felt off.

From beyond the thin sliding door, the voice of one of his subordinates called out.

“...Luju, there’s an intruder. They don’t seem like an ordinary master. What should we do?”

“Don’t provoke them unnecessarily. Let them in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Soon, the presence grew closer. It was his subordinate.

However, when the door slid open, there were two figures standing there.

It was a strange sensation. Though they were clearly there, it felt as though they weren’t. Luju furrowed his brow and looked at the figures from beyond the screen.

“What brings you here?”

“That’s something for you to find out. Isn’t that your role?”

“Hah…”

Luju let out a hollow laugh as he observed the elderly man through the screen.

The carefully crafted screen allowed the Luju to see the man clearly, though he couldn’t be seen from the other side.

An elderly man with graying hair. A master, no doubt. From the aura he exuded, it was clear he was not someone who walked the righteous path.

His hands were clean, his attire immaculate, but the bloodshot eyes and the telltale signs of exhaustion hinted at something darker.

There wasn’t much Luju could deduce, but he could make a decent guess.

“Are you the one being chased by Shaolin?”

“Hoho, you’re not completely clueless, are you?”

Damn it. Luju clenched his teeth.

Today could very well be his last.

Not every practitioner of magoong (demonic arts) was insane, but every one of them who was adept at it had lost their sanity.

Just looking into the old man’s eyes, Luju could tell—this man was utterly mad.

He was nothing like Gwangarang. That man might have been crazy, but it was an enjoyable kind of madness, kept within a reasonable boundary. It was manageable.

But this old man? There was no way a sane person could have eyes like that.

Luju felt that even if the old man started gnawing on the floor, he wouldn’t be surprised.

“You got one thing right, so I’ll tell you something in return. What I’m looking for is...”

Step, step—

The old man trailed off as he took a step forward.

Luju’s gaze shifted to the recently repaired trap mechanism.

Should he say something?

There was no guarantee that the mechanism would kill him. Luju made a decision.

“Be careful. There’s a trap mechanism ahead. I wouldn’t advise going any further.”

“A trap mechanism? Do you think something like that could stop me?”

Why was it always inevitable that martial artists would keep moving forward? Luju gritted his teeth as the old man took another step.

Thunk—

The floor gave way, and arrows and needles shot out from all sides.

The old man twisted his body mid-air, unleashing a burst of internal energy that deflected the incoming projectiles.

Boom—!

The force of the old man’s energy shook the building, but the old man’s eyes widened in shock.

A delayed barrage of swords and spears shot up from the floor, and the energy surrounding them wasn’t ordinary.

“You tricked me!”

The old man twisted his body again, a spear grazing his nose.

Simultaneously, he enveloped his hand with his internal energy, deflecting the sword and kicking away the spear, barely escaping the trap. He landed not where Luju stood, but back where he had started.

A long gash now ran across the old man’s cheek.

The old man licked the blood dripping from the wound and glared at Luju with bloodshot eyes.

“You bastard! You repay my favor with betrayal?”

“I warned you there was a trap mechanism, didn’t I?”

“Shut up! Who made this? No, someone tampered with it! You deceived me? Tell me their name right now!”

Luju cursed internally but forced himself to speak calmly.

“I don’t know anything about someone tampering with the trap. Who could have done it?”

“Someone tampered with it! I know it!”

The old man, now in a frenzy, stomped his foot as if he was about to charge at Luju any second.

Luju gestured to his guards to stay back and wiped the sweat off his brow.

“Listen… for now—”

“I won’t ask again. Who is it?!”

If that old man charged, Luju’s head would be crushed in a single move.

Luju’s eyes narrowed.

There was no way that madman would spare him even if he gave a name. In that case, it was better to go out with at least a little dignity.

An awkward smile stiffened on Luju’s face.

“The Haomun may be a third-rate organization of scoundrels, but that doesn’t mean we have no honor. Do what you wish. It won’t go the way you—”

“Damn it!”

Boom—!

The old man shattered the wall of the building and leapt outside.

Luju stared at the gaping hole in the wall, dumbfounded.

“What the hell…?”

At that exact moment, someone flew in through the hole in the wall.

Rubbing his temples, Luju asked the newcomer.

“Sigh… What is it now with Shaolin?”

“Apologies, benefactor. Did you hear anything from the demonic one who just left?”

“He just spouted nonsense and ran off.”

“Amitabha… I see. Thank you.”

The monk bowed and leapt back out through the hole in the wall. Luju let out a deep, weary sigh.

“…Boys.”

At his call, his guards rushed in immediately.

“Our apologies, Luju!”

“It’s fine. If you had come out earlier, the situation would have only gotten worse.”

Luju sighed and collapsed onto the floor.

“Damn these martial artists.”

Though he himself had learned martial arts, he could never understand the minds of those who were truly deep in the martial world.

“Should we just close up shop?”

“L-Luju…”

“It’s a joke. But damn, this is really shitty.”

Luju let out a bitter laugh as he gazed up at the ceiling.

‘Thank you, Gwangarang. You saved my life.’

If not for the trap mechanism forcing the old man to retreat, Luju’s neck might have been snapped before Shaolin had even arrived.

Luju had no intention of dying such a pitiful death.

“I’ll buy you a drink next time we meet.”

Could it be? He thought he heard Gwangarang’s voice in his mind.

Then again, he decided it would be best if he never saw Gwangarang again.