An Unwelcome Name
The Demon Spirit Dark Robe Formation was an exceptionally sophisticated array. With feral beastmen rampaging within its shadowy depths, even four Peak Realm masters could not navigate its confines carelessly.
Because of this, they had considered the likelihood of Namgung Yun and Zhuge Chim's deaths to be exceedingly high.
Mo Seok-heon and the Anhui Mo Clan, in particular, had fervently prayed that Namgung Yun would draw his last breath inside.
Yet when Zhuge Chim emerged unharmed, followed shortly by Namgung Yun himself, every one of them was left utterly struck dumb.
"You made it out safely!"
Zhuge Chim was the first to react.
"I told you, didn't I? To go on ahead."
"You certainly said as much, but..."
Zhuge Chim had never imagined in his wildest dreams that Yun would come strolling out as casually as if he had merely returned from an afternoon walk up a neighborhood hill.
The second to step forward was Namgung Su.
He marched up to Namgung Yun and gave his body a thorough inspection.
"Are you injured anywhere?"
"As you can see, I am bursting with vigor."
Yun spread his arms wide, flaunting his hale and hearty state.
Relief washed over Namgung Su's features.
Yet in the very next breath, his eyes narrowed into razor-sharp slits.
"Who gave you permission to act on your own without orders?!"
"Righteousness and chivalry bade me to do so."
Faced with such brazen confidence, Namgung Su choked on his own words. But only for an instant.
"Do you think that high-and-mighty conviction of yours can excuse your insubordination?!"
"Of course not."
Setting aside grand ideals like chivalry, righteousness, or Respect for the Strong, acting recklessly on personal whim was something an organization could never tolerate. Having commanded a massive sect as the Heavenly Demon in his past life, Namgung Yun understood that principle all too well.
So what?
What mattered to him right now was securing the clue that would unlock his next cultivation realm.
Seeing not a shred of remorse on Yun's face, Namgung Su drew a breath, ready to unleash his fury.
"Now, now, Flash Thunder Sword, that is quite enough."
It was Hong Jong who stepped in to defuse the tension.
"I have no desire to meddle in your clan's internal discipline, but surely this is hardly the appropriate place for an interrogation, is it?"
"...We will settle this matter thoroughly once we return."
Spinning on his heel, Namgung Su strode stiffly back to where the rest of the Namgung Clan party stood waiting.
"Now then, Little Chivalrous Hero. I have quite a few questions for you."
"You seem to be in exceptionally high spirits."
"Naturally! Two fine pillars of the martial world have returned alive and well from mortal peril—how could I not be in good cheer?!"
Yet for his words to be purely benevolent, the grin spread across Hong Jong's weathered face was far too radiant and mischievous.
The Anhui Branch Manager of the Beggars' Sect, who knew the old eccentric inside out, quietly shook his head.
"What transpired inside?"
The members of the search party pricked up their ears in unison.
Namgung Yun calmly recounted what he had experienced.
He carefully omitted all mention of the Demon Spirit Divine Art, the Demon Spirit Dark Robe Formation, and the Anhui Mo Clan's dark involvement. He could hardly explain to them how he had come by such forbidden knowledge, after all.
Even stripped of those revelations, the tale was more than enough to leave the crowd flabbergasted.
"...So you're saying you cut down every single one of those beastly monsters?"
"To be precise, only the ones that attacked me. Who knows if more of them are lurking deeper within?"
"And you accomplished that by manipulating the formation itself?"
"That is correct."
"...Just how was that possible?"
Yun gave a nonchalant shrug.
"Because I'm a genius."
"......"
The lively curiosity sparkling in Hong Jong's eyes froze into sheer bewilderment.
The rest of the crowd looked equally stunned.
To their speechless silence, Yun casually added:
"By the way, how much longer are we going to linger here? My stomach has begun to rumble."
Because no sunlight penetrated the subterranean gloom, it was impossible to gauge the hour, but he was certain mealtime had long since passed.
The looks directed at him shifted from shock to exasperated disbelief, but Yun did not bat an eyelash.
I'm actually starving, so what else do you want from me?
Besides, he had already milked this place of everything useful.
"...Let us withdraw for now," Monk Won Jin spoke up.
"It appears doubtful we will uncover anything further in this place at present. Let us return to the surface to regroup. Once there, we can deliberate on whether to conduct a deeper search, and if so, what strategy to employ."
"That would be wise. Now that we have gathered substantial information regarding the formation array, we can prepare far more adequately before venturing back in."
The Zhuge Clan quickly lent their weight to Won Jin's proposal.
Neither the Namgung Clan, the Anhui Mo Clan, nor Hong Jong voiced any objection.
And so, the investigation party departed from the cavern presumed to be a forgotten lair of the Demonic Cult.
Upon returning to the city, they agreed to disperse to their respective lodgings to rest.
"May I ask you one question?"
"What is it?"
Mo Seok-heon answered Yun's sudden question in a gruff, dismissive tone.
However, that belligerent attitude disintegrated the moment a single name slipped from Yun's lips.
"Do you happen to know someone named Mo Seokdo?"
"...!"
Mo Seok-heon's eyes tore wide in raw shock.
"...Is something the matter?"
Another conflict right to the bitter end? Feeling a throbbing headache blooming behind his temples, Monk Won Jin braced himself to mediate once more.
Yet the explosive confrontation he feared did not occur.
"...He was my cousin. He died long ago."
Spitting out those cold words, Mo Seok-heon turned and swept away, herding the martial artists of the Anhui Mo Clan behind him.
The onlookers, who had braced themselves for a shouting match or drawn steel, tilted their heads in bewilderment.
Only Namgung Yun watched Mo Seok-heon's retreating back with a sharp, knowing gaze.
Crash!
Tables flipped, and heavy chairs were hurled violently across the floor.
Each piece was fashioned from precious red sandalwood and worth a minor fortune, yet in Mo Seok-heon's current state of mind, such luxury mattered less than dirt. He did not hesitate to smash even an exquisite vase of Longquan celadon, laying bare the boundless fury consuming him.
Thud!
Mo Seok-heon collapsed heavily onto the bed—one of the few furnishings to survive the wreckage of the room.
Just how much does that bastard know?
This was never how the scheme was supposed to unfold.
The objective had been straightforward: the moment Namgung Yun set foot beyond the Namgung Clan's sphere of influence and entered Anhui Mo Clan territory, they would finish him off, even if it meant shouldering a considerable risk.
To that end, they had scouted an obscure cavern, etched lingering traces of the Demonic Cult into the stone, deployed their secretly preserved Demon Spirit Dark Robe Formation, and unhesitatingly sacrificed clan members who had devolved into beasts from practicing the Demon Spirit Divine Art.
To be frank, even while making the preparations, Mo Seok-heon had questioned whether going to such extreme lengths was truly necessary. Had he not suffered that humiliating, searing grievance at the hands of Namgung Jeongcheon in the past, he never would have countenanced such madness.
Yet, laughing in the face of all their calculations, Namgung Yun had walked right out of that deathtrap without a scratch.
When the fool threw himself into the formation of his own accord, I thought triumph was ours!
Mo Seok-heon had been prepared to sacrifice his own clan disciples just to herd Yun into that labyrinth, so his private elation at that moment had been boundless.
Yet the boy had survived.
And on top of that, he had deliberately spoken the name 'Mo Seokdo'.
There is no way in hell that was a mere bluff.
How could singling out Mo Seokdo's exact name be an empty shot in the dark?
The terrifying problem was that Mo Seok-heon had not the faintest clue where, how, or how much Namgung Yun had discovered.
He couldn't possibly know everything... could he?
If he did, the consequences would be catastrophic.
No matter how far the Orthodox faction had drifted from its roots—embracing dogmas like 'Respect for the Strong' and the law of the jungle—they were not so debased as to tolerate a clan that inherited the direct legacy of Yoma and the Demonic Cult.
The others looked suspicious as well.
Should he have reacted with his usual belligerence when Yun dropped Mo Seokdo's name? Yet even a seasoned veteran of countless battles like Mo Seok-heon had never imagined that name would fall from the boy's lips in that moment. Feigning composure had been impossible; swallowing his sheer panic had taken every ounce of his willpower.
I cannot let this stand.
If Namgung Yun knew more than he let on, the Anhui Mo Clan would have a lethal noose tied around their necks. And worse, the rope would be held by none other than the Namgung Clan.
The thought alone is nauseating.
If the roles were reversed and the Mo Clan held leverage over the Namgung Clan, endless cruel possibilities flooded his mind. And that meant the Namgung Clan would subject them to the exact same merciless fate.
No... they might bypass political games entirely, lay the truth bare before the entire martial world, and wipe our clan off the face of the earth.
Though they would fight back tooth and nail, a single misstep would see their entire bloodline extinguished.
...He must die. By any means necessary.
Mo Seok-heon's eyes turned murderously cold.
"Confine yourself to your quarters."
That was the sharp command Namgung Su barked at Yun the moment they returned to the inn.
Namgung Yun obediently shut himself inside his room.
Naturally, not an ounce of remorse crossed his mind.
That chivalric deed went rather splendidly, didn't it?
He had rescued Zhuge Chim and the disciples of the Zhuge Clan. By any standard, it was an impeccable act of righteousness.
Just as he lay sprawled on the bed, basking in smug self-satisfaction—
"Is anyone inside?" a voice called out from the hallway.
Zhuge Chim?
Yun rose and slid the door open.
"Ah, Little Chivalrous Hero. Greetings."
"What brings you here?"
"I came to offer my deepest gratitude."
"My apologies, but as you can see, I am currently serving disciplinary confinement..."
"Please, do not worry. I have already spoken with the Flash Thunder Sword."
"Is that so?"
Then there was no problem.
Yun ushered Zhuge Chim inside.
The two took their seats across from one another at the small tea table. Zhuge Chim rose to his feet, clasping his hands in a profound, solemn bow.
"Allow me to express my gratitude once more. Had it not been for you, Little Chivalrous Hero, not only would I have perished, but my uncles would have met a grim end in that cavern as well. My uncles wished to accompany me to thank you personally, but..."
"My confinement stood in the way, I presume."
"Regrettably, yes."
In truth, Zhuge Chim had only been granted permission to enter because his personal debt of life to Yun was the heaviest of all.
"There is no need for such grand formalities. I merely acted in accordance with my convictions."
"It is precisely because of those convictions that our lives were saved. Offering our gratitude is the very least we must do."
Zhuge Chim's expression grew earnestly solemn.
"In due time, our clan will formally present our thanks and remuneration to the Namgung Clan."
"Very well."
A brief exchange of courteous small talk followed.
Then, a thought crossed Yun's mind, and he voiced it:
"Come to think of it, it was the Zhuge Clan that located that cavern. How did you come across it in the first place? Did you truly scour Mount Huang at random?"
"To tell the truth, I happened to overhear a conversation between a few patrons while eating at an inn. They claimed to have stumbled upon an exceedingly bizarre, suspicious cavern. Spurred by curiosity, I listened closely to their words and searched the area they described. Sure enough, we found the entrance."
"I see."
Most likely, the Anhui Mo Clan hired men to intentionally leak the information to the Zhuge Clan.
"Were we... used as pawns?"
Sharp as a tack, isn't he?
As expected of the Zhuge Clan's finest rising mind.
"Now that I recall, you mentioned the name Mo Seokdo earlier. Could he have been one of those beastmen who ambushed us?"
"I am not at liberty to disclose that yet."
"Hmm. If he bore the surname Mo, he must be of the Anhui Mo Clan. Could this entire incident have been orchestrated by them...?"
Zhuge Chim's face clouded with profound gravity.
"If so, that would mean the Anhui Mo Clan possesses some illicit tie to the Demonic Cult..."
"Nothing has been verified."
Though Namgung Yun had deduced the Anhui Mo Clan's dark secrets from Mo Seokdo's dying words, he had no intention of blabbing about it carelessly.
"Of course."
Zhuge Chim had no intention of foolishly leaping to conclusions based solely on circumstantial evidence.
Yet neither did he intend to ignore the distinct stench of conspiracy hovering in the air.
If the Anhui Mo Clan truly plotted this treacherous scheme...
Every member of the Zhuge Clan contingent had nearly lost their lives because of it. Even if the Zhuge Clan's present martial might lagged behind the Anhui Mo Clan, engraving this blood debt deep into their bones was a simple matter. And that debt would one day become a poisoned dagger driven into the Mo Clan's flank the moment they showed a seam of weakness.
Still, that was a matter for when the Mo Clan's guilt was proven beyond all doubt.
"Whenever your travels permit, please grace our Zhuge Clan with a visit. We shall welcome you with our utmost sincerity."
For now, offering his heartfelt gratitude to the savior sitting before him was all that mattered.