What if Geom Mugeuk’s prediction was right?
It meant he would die today. Together with the elite Demon Extermination Squad of the Murim Alliance.
Would he have believed it if the one who said those words had not been Geom Mugeuk? That there were people who had laid a trap to kill him and the Demon Extermination Squad all in one place.
‘Absolutely not.’
But now, he believed it.
In all the times he had met Geom Mugeuk, had the man ever been wrong? No, he had not. His words had always become reality.
His prediction that the Chongqing Branch might be attacked had also proven accurate. If the Demon Lord had not come to help, the earlier report would have been far more horrific.
That was why Jin Hagun’s expression hardened on its own.
‘They’re even more vicious than the ones we dealt with last time.’
Jin Hagun looked at Geom Mugeuk.
“That’s fortunate. They couldn’t have calculated for a variable like you.”
But Geom Mugeuk did not let down his guard.
“That remains to be seen.”
Hyeolcheon Doma had become involved, and Seo Daeryong had been dragged in as well. How could he be certain he was an exception?
“What will you do now?”
At that question, Geom Mugeuk left the decision to Jin Hagun.
“You decide. The matter of Yumyeong Manor is yours.”
It was because he wanted Jin Hagun to take the lead in handling this matter.
Jin Hagun’s gaze turned toward the estate.
If danger lurked there, one option was to withdraw for now and return after mobilizing all the martial artists of the branch.
But then the sacrifices among ordinary martial artists could grow immense. These were people waiting to kill the Demon Extermination Squad; the losses among ordinary martial artists would truly be great.
Another option was to request masters from the Alliance.
But that would take time. Could they really afford to delay this matter like that?
Neither option appealed to him.
And so, the conclusion he reached was this.
“I want to break through head-on, now.”
He wanted to rescue the lord of Yumyeong Manor and his household in time.
If he had not known, that would have been one thing. But now that he knew they were here, he had to save them.
Because that was the reason the Murim Alliance’s Demon Extermination Squad existed.
Guessing his feelings, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“I’ll watch your back, so take the lead.”
At words more reassuring than anything else in the world, Jin Hagun nodded.
Jin Hagun gathered all the martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad.
“There is a very high possibility that people targeting us are inside that mountain villa. So keep your wits about you!”
Had they not known, they might have fallen for it. But if they prepared in advance, they would never be taken down easily.
Even if there was an absolute master capable of overwhelming them.
Jin Hagun’s gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk.
‘We have an absolute master too.’
And so Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun took the lead, with the martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad following behind them.
Jin Hagun found it strange and new that, in a situation like this, he was walking alongside the young cult leader of the Demon Cult toward a place that might be a trap.
The turmoil he had felt from not being able to fully trust Geom Mugeuk had now completely vanished. He had decided that even nine-tenths trust was more than enough.
Perhaps that was why he could say something like this so easily.
“I have a favor to ask.”
It was a favor Geom Mugeuk truly had not expected.
“If I happen to die, please take good care of my younger sister.”
Jin Hagun had never imagined he would make such a request of Geom Mugeuk. But while he had the chance, he had wanted to say it. Whether as a friend’s younger sister, as one martial artist to another, or as a man and a woman—Geom Mugeuk was the only person he could trust and entrust his sister to.
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk answered.
“I can’t grant that favor.”
“Why not?”
“If you die here and I alone survive, then it will be as if I killed you. Even if they don’t think I killed you, your sister and the Alliance Leader will never forgive me for failing to keep you alive. So you absolutely must not die.”
Jin Hagun nodded. Now that he thought about it, that was true. His death would become the signal flare announcing the beginning of the Orthodox-Demonic War.
And so the two arrived before the estate.
“Are we really going in through the front gate like this?”
“On the contrary, they won’t have expected us to come knocking at the gate like this, will they? We’re striking where they’re not prepared.”
After saying that, Geom Mugeuk pounded on the gate.
The person who opened it immediately was a middle-aged martial artist. He looked like a martial artist belonging to the villa, and behind him stood three or four others dressed the same way.
The middle-aged martial artist was startled when he saw the Demon Extermination Squad lined up behind Jin Hagun. It felt as if dozens of sharpened treasured swords were being aimed at him.
One of the Demon Extermination Squad martial artists stepped forward.
“We have come to see the manor lord. Is he here?”
The middle-aged martial artist asked in a trembling voice,
“Where have you come from?”
“Tell him the captain of the Murim Alliance’s Demon Extermination Squad has arrived.”
At those words, the middle-aged martial artist was shocked. His gaze turned to Jin Hagun.
“Are you truly the captain of the Demon Extermination Squad?”
Jin Hagun asked him in return,
“If one impersonates the captain of the Demon Extermination Squad, one must spend a very long time locked in a prison. Do I look like such a foolish man to you?”
Even if Jin Hagun did not reveal his aura, the presence of the Demon Extermination Squad martial artists lined up behind him was enough to prove his identity.
“No, sir.”
When the middle-aged martial artist ordered one of the men standing behind him to inform them that the captain of the Demon Extermination Squad had arrived, the man ran inside.
From the look of it, they certainly had not expected this visit at all.
At their reaction, Jin Hagun sent a sound transmission.
—It doesn’t look like a trap, does it?
They were clearly flustered and startled by the sudden visit of the Demon Extermination Squad captain.
—The better the trap, the more it would look that way, no?
Geom Mugeuk was still suspicious of this place.
—That man’s martial arts are no ordinary thing. He’s probably someone who holds a fairly high position in this mountain villa. And yet he came to greet us himself. Isn’t that strange?
Jin Hagun understood what Geom Mugeuk’s sound transmission meant.
—You mean they were prepared for an intrusion from outside?
—Exactly.
A moment later, the martial artist who had run inside came back.
“He says to escort you in at once.”
The middle-aged martial artist spoke respectfully to Jin Hagun.
“This way, please.”
Jin Hagun followed him, and the martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad spread out in all directions, keeping watch over their surroundings as they followed.
On the way into the inner court, they saw martial artists stationed here and there.
Jin Hagun tested the middle-aged martial artist with a question.
“The defenses are strict for an ordinary estate.”
The middle-aged martial artist answered calmly,
“Unsettling incidents have been occurring in Chongqing lately, so we strengthened our guard.”
Thus Geom Mugeuk and Jin Hagun arrived at the main hall.
There, the lord of Hyangsu Mountain Villa, Liu Fan, welcomed Jin Hagun.
“Welcome. What brings such an esteemed guest to this place?”
Standing a few steps behind Jin Hagun, among the Demon Extermination Squad, Geom Mugeuk observed the villa lord’s reaction. Liu Fan was an older man who had clearly experienced all sorts of hardships, but his reaction showed that he had not expected this visit at all.
“I came because I have something to say to you, Villa Lord.”
“Please speak.”
Liu Fan was extremely courteous. His opponent was a powerful candidate to become the next Alliance Leader, as well as the head of the Murim Alliance’s most elite Demon Extermination Squad.
“Do you know of the incident that occurred at Yumyeong Manor?”
“Of course.”
“A martial artist who was at that Yumyeong Manor was seen here at this mountain villa.”
“At our villa? That cannot be. It must have been someone who looked similar.”
Judging only from his startled reaction and expression, it truly seemed as though he knew nothing.
Whether he was flatly denying it or truly did not know, this was not a situation to resolve with words now.
“May we look around the estate?”
He did not seem inclined to allow it, but he could not bring himself to refuse.
“Of course. I will guide you myself.”
Liu Fan took the lead and guided the two of them.
He showed them various parts of the villa. Aside from the strict security, they could find nothing particularly strange. There were no martial artists lying hidden for an ambush, nor any traces of traps.
Geom Mugeuk sent a sound transmission to Jin Hagun.
—Ask to see the infirmary.
Jin Hagun understood Geom Mugeuk’s intention.
“Does the villa also have an infirmary?”
In that instant, Geom Mugeuk saw a faint hint of panic pass across Liu Fan’s face.
“We have one, though it is small.”
“I would like to see that place as well.”
And so he guided them to the infirmary.
There were several beds, but no one was there.
“Do you have a physician belonging to the villa?”
“Yes, one.”
“Where is he now?”
“He seems to have gone out.”
At that moment, a martial artist of the Demon Extermination Squad discovered something.
“Please look at this.”
Behind the infirmary building, herbs were piled up—the leftover scraps after the necessary parts of the medicinal herbs had been removed. Perhaps they had not yet been disposed of, for there was a considerable amount.
Jin Hagun said to Liu Fan,
“I know that recently, a large quantity of medicinal herbs was purchased from nearby clinics. Most were herbs used to treat external and internal injuries. Whom were you treating?”
This time, too, Liu Fan flatly denied it.
“My subordinates were injured during training.”
“Where are those injured subordinates?”
“I sent them to their hometowns so they could rest comfortably for a while.”
As Jin Hagun’s expression turned cold and he revealed a sharp aura, Liu Fan flinched.
The middle-aged martial artist who had guided them earlier stepped forward to protect his leader, but the martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad also revealed their aura all at once.
Overwhelmed by that force, the middle-aged martial artist stepped back.
“Villa Lord Liu.”
“Speak.”
“I am someone trying to save the lord of Yumyeong Manor and his household. Why are you trying to hide things from me?”
Liu Fan denied it to the end.
“I do not know what you mean.”
“If I give the order, my subordinates will search this entire mountain villa from top to bottom. Given the nature of the matter, if there is something you are hiding, Villa Lord, you will have to pay the price for it.”
Sensing Liu Fan waver, Jin Hagun persuaded him gently.
“We are the Demon Extermination Squad. I do not know what you are worried about, but trust us.”
In the end, Liu Fan let out a sigh and said,
“Please follow me.”
Leaving his own subordinates there, Liu Fan took only Jin Hagun and the Demon Extermination Squad toward the rear garden.
There was a secret passage leading underground.
“This villa has had a secret refuge passed down from long ago.”
After descending the stairs, an underground passage appeared, and at the end of that passage was a large room.
When they opened the door and entered, an unfamiliar medicinal scent wafted out.
Dozens of beds were placed there, and people lay on every one of them.
Liu Fan sighed and said,
“They are the martial artists who survived Yumyeong Manor. The lord of Yumyeong Manor came to our mountain villa with the survivors.”
Jin Hagun was glad to learn that they were alive.
“Where is the lord of Yumyeong Manor?”
At that, Liu Fan let out a sorrowful sigh and delivered the tragic news.
“The lord of Yumyeong Manor died the day after he hid here. His wounds were too deep; there was nothing we could do.”
Jin Hagun sighed with him.
“Why did you not inform us sooner?”
“Before he died, the lord of Yumyeong Manor earnestly begged me. He told me not to tell anyone until his household had treated their wounds.”
“Did he also say why?”
Liu Fan nodded.
“He said that if it became known they were alive, they would come to kill them again. And soon after, news came that Daejeong Sect had been annihilated. That was when I realized this matter was not limited to Yumyeong Manor alone.”
Jin Hagun could roughly understand what had happened. That must have been why Liu Fan had been afraid—afraid that they, too, would be dragged into this matter and face annihilation. He had no intention of blaming him. After all, he had been treating these people.
“Did he say who did it?”
After hesitating for a moment, Liu Fan answered quietly,
“He said it was a young man who used a great saber.”
Judging only by that, the culprit was undoubtedly Seo Daeryong.
“I apologize for not telling you from the beginning.”
“No. I understand how you felt, Villa Lord Liu. For now, we will take these people with us.”
“Please do. In return, please keep the fact that they were hiding here a secret.”
“I will.”
If anything, he looked relieved.
Jin Hagun said to the martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad,
“Carefully move the martial artists of Yumyeong Manor to the branch.”
The martial artists of the Demon Extermination Squad all possessed powerful martial arts, so they would be able to move the patients safely without causing complications. For this task, they were more suited than ordinary martial artists.
It was just as the Demon Extermination Squad martial artists were about to step forward. Geom Mugeuk, who had only been listening, suddenly spoke.
“How coincidental. The number of injured people is similar to the number of martial artists in the Demon Extermination Squad.”
In that instant, everyone’s gazes turned toward Geom Mugeuk.
“Now I understand.”
“What do you understand?”
Liu Fan looked at Geom Mugeuk in surprise. He had thought the man was a subordinate, but the two were speaking like friends.
A shocking statement flowed from Geom Mugeuk.
“I understand now how they intended to kill you and the Demon Extermination Squad.”
At the sudden words, Jin Hagun could not say a thing. The warriors of the Demon-Extermination Squad also stared at Geom Mugeuk with startled expressions.
“You and the Demon-Extermination Squad would all have been dead before you ever left this place.”
“!”
Jin Hagun looked silently at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk loved all manner of mischief, but he had never once made sport of human lives. Nor was he the sort of man who would.
“What do you mean?”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the patients on the beds.
“You would have been ambushed while carrying them out.”
That meant all of them were enemies!
Everyone was shocked. Not only Jin Hagun, but none of the Demon-Extermination Squad warriors here had thought those patients could be enemies.
“Of course no one would suspect them. These people aren’t strangers you happened to meet on the road.”
The incident at Yumyeong Manor and Daejeongmun had occurred, they had searched for them, found evidence, and thus finally located these people. This was, at last, the moment they were going to rescue them.
“They are not warriors of Yumyeong Manor. The real ones likely all died that day. They were treated as missing precisely for this moment.”
A chill ran through Jin Hagun’s chest. If that was true, then this was a meticulously planned conspiracy to kill him and the Demon-Extermination Squad.
Yu Beom spoke with an expression of disbelief.
“What absurd nonsense is that?”
Ignoring his reaction, Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Hagun,
“The medicinal fragrance we smelled when we entered this place just now was the scent of burning Western Spirit Grass (西靈草).”
Geom Mugeuk walked toward the beds.
“Over here, I smell Untimely Death Grass (非命草). Each scent on its own does no harm to a person, but when the two combine, they momentarily produce an effect like taking qi-dispersing poison. It lasts only a very brief instant, but it is enough time to subdue an opponent.”
When it came to poisonous and medicinal herbs, Geom Mugeuk possessed knowledge and learning as profound as anyone’s.
Geom Mugeuk said to Jin Hagun,
“Everyone here was injured, yet the person caught in the Martial Alliance’s surveillance net was perfectly fine, wasn’t he? Isn’t that strange? And they left traces of medicinal herbs behind the infirmary as if they wanted us to see them?”
Jin Hagun nodded.
“It was to lure us here.”
The warriors of the Demon-Extermination Squad drew their swords all at once.
Then the people lying on the beds slowly raised themselves up. One could tell just from their eyes. They, too, were truly well-trained elite warriors.
Yu Beom, who had seemed flustered and frightened from beginning to end, changed in both gaze and voice, and even his aura became that of a different person.
“Even so, nothing changes.”
He looked behind him.
Drrrk.
Then a hidden door at the back opened, and a man walked out.
It was none other than the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber strapped to his back.