Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Reason for Escape (2)
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Ma Dongpil bowed his head to Gi Yang.
“Second Team Leader, you're here as well. It's been a long time.”
Gi Yang was at a loss for words. So was Lee Gunseong.
It had been a full eight months since they had last seen Ma Dongpil.
His stoic expression was the same, but a vertical scar now ran down past his left eye.
It wasn't a wound from a blade. It was a deep gouge, as if carved by something both sharp and blunt. Fortunately, his eye seemed unharmed, but…
What startled the two men wasn't just the scar.
*Shhh.*
The air in the room grew cold with startling speed.
The two men flinched, startled by the dangerous aura emanating from Ma Dongpil.
‘…Killing intent?’
An extraordinary killing intent was woven into the flow of his energy.
It was a killing intent so potent that it made the two men—said to be the strongest masters in the Hall of Protectors aside from its lord—shudder.
Ma Dongpil turned his head toward Lee Gunseong.
*Flinch.*
Lee Gunseong felt his tightly clenched fists grow slick with sweat. The mere gaze had put him on edge.
A look of confusion crossed Ma Dongpil’s face.
“Are you perhaps unwell, sir?”
‘He doesn’t know?’
That was right. Ma Dongpil himself seemed completely unaware of how vicious his own killing intent was.
“Third Team Leader.”
“Yes.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“…I see.”
Watching Lee Gunseong hesitate, Ma Dongpil’s confusion only deepened.
“…”
“…”
“…”
An inscrutable silence fell.
Ma Dongpil bowed his head politely.
“It seems I’ve chosen a bad time. I will take my leave.”
Lee Gunseong, startled, waved his hands in dismissal.
“Not at all. It’s been so long, we can’t just let you go. Have a seat.”
“Are you sure it’s alright?”
“Of course.”
“My apologies, but I must also leave soon, so I won't be able to chat for long. I came to see you, Team Leader, to ask for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Do you happen to have any Gulsong tea leaves?”
Lee Gunseong tilted his head.
Gulsong tea was made from dried leaves cultivated in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Its aroma was so heavy that few people enjoyed it.
“I have some, but…”
Lee Gunseong happened to be one of those few.
“In that case, might I have some?”
“That’s no trouble, but what do you need it for? You don’t like Gulsong tea, do you?”
“The Third Young Master requires it.”
“The Third Young Master?”
“Yes.”
“…I understand. Wait just a moment. I’ll bring it right away.”
As Lee Gunseong disappeared with a quizzical look, a hush once again fell over the office, leaving only the two of them.
Gi Yang felt an awkward tension. He was overjoyed to see his junior after so long, yet he found it difficult to strike up a conversation.
‘Why?’
Was it because of this vicious killing intent? No. The gruesome scar? In the Divine Cult, a scar like that was nothing.
‘This isn't the Third Team Leader I knew. He's fundamentally changed.’
It was because Ma Dongpil had changed, as if he now lived in a different world.
He was no longer the Third Team Leader of the Hall of Protectors, but a stranger who seemed to belong to another realm entirely. And all this in just eight months.
The bond between the Team Leaders of the Hall of Protectors, the rapport shared between a hearty senior and his steadfast junior, had been severed. It felt as though they had inhabited different worlds from the very beginning.
‘And besides…’
Gi Yang glanced at Ma Dongpil’s hands.
They were covered in fine scars he’d never had during his time in the Hall of Protectors. Even a glimpse of his palms revealed the clear marks of calluses that had repeatedly split open and healed.
‘What kind of life has he been living?’
He was a man who had trained relentlessly, even outside of his duties. But even then, he had never carried such wounds.
The more Gi Yang looked, the more puzzled and saddened he became, and the more awkward he felt.
Just then, Ma Dongpil, who had been silent, spoke.
“It must be bittersweet for you.”
“Hm?”
“I heard the Second Team Deputy Leader is getting married.”
“Ah!”
Gi Yang shook his head.
“When it’s time to go, you have to go. But you must have been busy in the Solitary Bamboo Forest. Where did you hear that news?”
“I come into the inner sanctum a couple of times a month to pick up supplies.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Gi Yang spoke with a hint of reproach.
“My friend. If that’s the case, you should have stopped by to show your face sooner. Why only now?”
“My apologies.”
Ma Dongpil scratched his head, looking abashed.
Seeing his junior’s more relaxed expression, Gi Yang’s face softened as well.
“How is serving the Third Young Master? Isn't it difficult?”
“The more difficult it is for me, the more comfortable the Young Master will be. It is only natural that it should be difficult.”
Gi Yang smiled faintly.
‘Right.’
Perhaps the unfamiliarity he had felt earlier was just his imagination.
His appearance and demeanor had changed, but Ma Dongpil was still Ma Dongpil.
“It’s a shame your time is short. Be sure to stop by again soon. We can share a drink and catch up.”
“I will. Please tell the Deputy Leader I’m sorry I cannot attend the ceremony.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
A short while later, after receiving the tea leaves from Lee Gunseong, Ma Dongpil rose to his feet without delay.
Watching Ma Dongpil’s departing figure from a distance, Gi Yang spoke.
“Did you feel it too, senior?”
“I did.”
A shadow of concern crossed Gi Yang’s face.
“No matter how I think about it, that killing intent isn't normal. Not even a bloodthirsty killer who slaughters for a living would exude such an aura.”
“…”
“I wonder if something has gone wrong.”
“It must mean he's living a life so perilous that he naturally exudes such killing intent.”
“Of course, that’s true. What I mean is…”
“When one’s environment changes, so does the person. The Third Team Leader has adapted to his environment. And he’s still alive and well.”
“…”
“It’s unfortunate, but at least he seems to be in good health. Isn’t that a relief?”
Gi Yang sighed.
A flicker of sorrow crossed Lee Gunseong’s face.
‘He’s grown stronger.’
The martial prowess of the Third Team Leader, Ma Dongpil, after eight months.
He had become unbelievably strong in less than a year. His internal energy had increased astonishingly, as if he had consumed some elixir, and he had become just as adept at concealing his aura.
‘That’s why I’m worried.’
Even with his aura concealed, that killing intent still seeped out. He couldn't imagine how vicious Ma Dongpil’s killing intent would be if he were to engage in battle with purpose.
‘Just what kind of life has he been living?’
He must have frequently fought against the fiends. But there was no way of knowing what kind of fiends he had faced.
Even the Protectors who had managed the Solitary Bamboo Forest for years had never ventured into its heart. The same was true for Lee Gunseong.
‘The position of the Third Young Master’s personal guard. He must feel an immense burden. He has likely crossed the line between life and death countless times to protect the Young Master.’
Gi Yang asked in a low voice.
“He’ll continue to manage, won’t he?”
“Of course.”
Lee Gunseong forced a smile as he answered.
“He will return even stronger. I believe that.”
* * *
*Shhh.*
The entrance to the Solitary Bamboo Forest.
Ma Dongpil checked his condition one more time.
‘I’ve got everything I need.’
He had new weapons, had gotten medicinal herbs from a colleague at the Blood Soul Pavilion, and had received Gulsong tea leaves from the First Team Leader.
‘Time to go.’
*Fwaaah!*
Ma Dongpil’s body shot forward like a white streak.
Even without pushing his movement arts to their limit, he seemed twice as fast as he had been eight months ago. His once rigid posture had become quite fluid, and his vision, once fixed forward, now opened up to his left and right.
The ease with which he executed his martial arts was proof of his deeper understanding. The harsh experiences of the past eight months had elevated his martial path to a new level.
Having found his identity not just as a bodyguard but as a proud martial artist in his own right, Ma Dongpil was now a master whose future growth was highly anticipated.
How long had he run?
*Aaaaaah!*
From somewhere in the forest, a beautiful woman’s voice could be heard.
Of course, it wasn't a real woman. It was the cry of one of the fiends that had crept to the outer edges of the forest.
A beautiful voice that evoked a strange sense of dread.
‘A Zhu.’
It wasn't a particularly dangerous fiend. Those with weak internal energy would suffer seizures upon hearing its cry, but that didn't apply to Ma Dongpil.
Ma Dongpil moved past the sound with familiarity.
Before he had adapted to the forest, he would have hunted it down and killed it, fearing future trouble.
But not anymore. Neither he nor Seo Ryang was weak enough to be threatened by a fiend of that level. There was no need to waste his energy.
*Fwaaaang!*
After running for another fifteen minutes, he finally saw their residence, Seongjukwon.
*Thud!*
Stopping in his tracks, he expanded his senses.
*Wooooong!*
His demonic energy spread out. The quality of his energy had improved to a degree incomparable to before.
As he scanned his surroundings, Ma Dongpil tilted his head. He couldn't feel the Young Master’s presence.
“Did he go for a stroll?”
He let out a deep sigh.
“He went off alone again.”
He wouldn't have gone to a dangerous area. They had promised never to do so unless they were together.
Still, he couldn't help but worry. What if something happened?
“…Then again, he’s no longer someone who would be defeated by fiends.”
Ma Dongpil’s eyes wavered.
On his stoic face was an expression of unconcealable admiration and a respect that bordered on reverence.
Ma Dongpil had grown stronger. The spirit bamboos they had luckily harvested had been refined by Seo Ryang’s Unhindered Arts into high-quality elixirs, a few of which had ended up in Ma Dongpil’s stomach.
The medicinal power was so immense that he had yet to absorb even half of it. Even so, his dantian had already doubled in size.
A larger dantian didn't automatically mean stronger martial arts, but it was a well-known fact that it would be a tremendous help for future development. That alone was a great fortune, an incredible growth.
Meanwhile, Seo Ryang had transcended even that level.
‘Even if he did have an enlightenment.’
Ma Dongpil shook his head.
Everything about the Young Master was incomprehensible. He was full of things that an ordinary person could not understand.
“I should at least clean up before he gets back.”
Entering Seongjukwon, Ma Dongpil organized his supplies and picked up a bamboo broom.
*Swish! Swish!*
With each sweep of the broom, bamboo leaves scattered. The dirty courtyard was clean in an instant.
After easily cleaning the courtyard, he tidied up everything from Seo Ryang’s room to his own, the storage shed, and even the kitchen. He had become so accustomed to the work that his sweeping and wiping had the touch of a master craftsman.
“This should be good enough.”
Having finished all the cleaning in less than half an hour, he glanced up at the sky.
“The sun should be setting soon.”
*Rustle, rustle, rustle.*
Ma Dongpil’s eyes narrowed.
In the distance, the bamboo stalks were shaking. It looked like fiends were feeding on them.
‘They’re getting closer.’
Seongjukwon was the safest place in the Solitary Bamboo Forest.
But that was a thing of the past. Now, fiends appeared at Seongjukwon as frequently as they did in the forest's middle regions, and their appearances were only expected to increase.
‘It’s going to get more and more exhausting.’
It was then.
*Kyaaaak!*
A fiend’s scream echoed from where the bamboo had been shaking.
Ma Dongpil, his face impassive as he watched the spot, placed a hand on the hilt of the longsword at his waist, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.
How much time passed?
*Rustle. Rustle.*
An unknown presence slowly approached.
Tension filled Ma Dongpil’s eyes. The spiritual energy of the Solitary Bamboo Forest was the same as the fiends’ energy, making it impossible to sense a presence until it was within a certain distance.
‘The footsteps are heavy and steady. It’s not a Seongseong… but it’s dragging something?’
*Woooong.*
A faint demonic energy began to rise from Ma Dongpil’s body.
Slowly, but surely, the unknown being drew closer.
*Grip.*
His hand tightened on the sword hilt.
A moment later, the being revealed itself.
“Oh? You’re back already? I told you to go catch up with your comrades.”
Relaxing at the sight of the familiar face, Ma Dongpil let out a sigh of relief.
“You’ve retur—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
The young man who had appeared was drenched in blood, and the body of the fiend he was dragging behind him had been brutally mangled.
“…A Nokchok?!”
“Finally caught it. Damn, that was a tough one.”
The young man, Seo Ryang, grinned.
“Put a pot on the fire. Let's see what this horse meat tastes like.”