Chapter 198
Chapter 198
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 56
>Chapter Title: Loyalty (4)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Having witnessed Mok Kyung-un’s true face, brimming with pure malice, the Third Escort Captain of the main residence, Seop Chun, momentarily lost his words from the chill creeping up his spine.
It seemed he had been mistaken.
Seop Chun had felt that Mok Kyung-un was similar to Na Yuk-ryang, the great disciple of the Vice Leader.
But that wasn’t the case.
It was certain that both were different from ordinary people.
However, while the eldest young master Na Yuk-ryang gave off an emotionless, coldly advancing aura solely toward dominance, Mok Kyung-un appeared to be pure evil itself.
How could such a person exist?
A tremor rose from deep within.
It was then.
-Thud!
Mong Mu-yak collapsed.
With his eyes rolled back and his body shuddering, Mong Mu-yak’s condition didn’t look good.
Not only had his arm been severed, but it seemed the near-fatal slash to his neck had dealt him a massive shock.
Thanks to that, Seop Chun, who had been gripped by fear for a moment, regained his senses.
“You went too far.”
“Pardon?”
“Too far, I said!”
“What do you mean?”
“If it was about loyalty, what happened earlier was proof enough. So why push it until it came to this? As you said, if it had ended then, it wouldn’t have...”
“I said pretending wouldn’t count.”
“That’s...”
“Is there any other way to prove right here whether you were monitoring me on the Vice Leader’s orders or working for the other successors?”
“......”
Seop Chun had no reply to that.
Though the line had been crossed, Mok Kyung-un was right.
No, wise was more like it.
‘Now I’m irrevocably tied to this guy.’
It had happened the moment he attacked Mong Mu-yak, the Vice Leader’s son.
From his position without backing, he had no choice but to follow Mok Kyung-un to avoid becoming enemies with the Vice Leader.
“Haa.”
But the confusion was unavoidable.
Just moments ago, he had wanted to accomplish great things with Mok Kyung-un, making the family name and his own resound not just in the Heaven-Earth Society but across the entire Central Plains.
Yet seeing the true face of the evil lurking within Mok Kyung-un filled him with fear.
Was this really someone he could trust and follow?
Wouldn’t it be the worst choice?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“......To be honest, I’m afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“Of you, and whether choosing you was the right decision for me—that doubt just hit me.”
“You’re very frank.”
“Even if I’ve steeled my resolve, seeing your true nature makes it impossible to help it.”
“My true nature...”
Mok Kyung-un smirked.
Then he approached Seop Chun, lightly patted his shoulder, and said,
“I like that. Praised for facing me directly without turning away.”
“......”
It was a truly peculiar compliment.
Should he even take it as one?
Yet why was he shaken by the words of this kid younger than him?
Was it the qualities of a leader this guy possessed?
Or was it his capacity?
Seop Chun spoke up.
“I have a request now.”
“Beyond being your right and left arms?”
“Yes, one arose.”
“What is it?”
“Fear is fear, but I want there to be worth in following you.”
At those words, the corner of Mok Kyung-un’s mouth twitched.
Worth.
From the moment he joined him, it would be a path stained with blood—could this man truly feel satisfying worth from it?
As the doubt arose, Cheong-ryeong’s voice echoed.
-No need to overthink it.
-......?
-There’s no lord-vassal bond without give and take. Worth doesn’t need to be grand; just fulfill what’s desired appropriately.
“I see. Learning another lesson like this.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong cleared her throat.
-Ahem. What do you mean ‘another lesson’ like it’s new.
Mok Kyung-un smirked and said to Seop Chun,
“Don’t worry too much. If you fulfill your role, you’ll surely get what you want. I promise that much.”
Seop Chun let out a shallow breath at those words.
Hearing that from Mok Kyung-un eased his mind somewhat.
He hoped it would be so.
Only then would this choice not be the worst.
-Pat!
With things settled, Seop Chun dropped to one knee, clasped his hands together toward Mok Kyung-un, and shouted.
“Third Escort Captain of the main residence, Seop Chun. I pledge my loyalty to Young Master Mok Kyung-un. Please accept it.”
“......”
Mok Kyung-un stared down intently at Seop Chun offering his oath of loyalty.
A glint appeared in Mok Kyung-un’s eyes as he looked at him.
Seop Chun was different from those he had pulled under him so far.
He had come of his own accord.
And even after seeing a side close to his essence, he didn’t turn away and showed honesty even about his fear.
-This isn’t bad either.
-You’ve gained a subordinate properly, so of course.
-Is that so?
Mok Kyung-un smirked at Cheong-ryeong’s words.
Properly, huh.
He didn’t quite agree with Cheong-ryeong on that.
He simply made the most optimal choice fitting the situation.
“I accept.”
Mok Kyung-un said to Seop Chun.
Seop Chun then bowed his head to the floor in full rite.
Since his loyalty was accepted, he was showing proper respect.
As the saying goes, lord, teacher, and father are one.
Thus, one shows the rite of bow to the lord served, the master, or the father who begat.
After completing the rite, Seop Chun rose and said,
“Since I’ve decided to serve you as my lord, I’ll treat you with respect henceforth. Lord, speak freely.”
“I’ll ease into it.”
“No need to be formal. Treat me casually...”
“I’ll do so when the time comes. This feels comfortable for now.”
Seop Chun couldn’t hide his puzzlement.
But what could he do if his lord, Mok Kyung-un, said so?
He would simply follow his lord’s will.
More importantly, this took precedence.
Seop Chun checked the condition of Mong Mu-yak, the Vice Leader’s son lying collapsed, sighed, and said,
“Phew. Heavy bleeding, and his state is poor.”
It was as expected.
-Tatata-tat!
Seop Chun pressed the hemostasis points, hurriedly lifted Mong Mu-yak’s severed left arm above his heart, tore a strip from his clothing, and tied it tightly to staunch the bleeding further.
After the treatment, Seop Chun clicked his tongue and said,
“Lord, do you have a plan?”
“A plan?”
“Yes. I don’t want to dwell on what’s done, but he’s the Vice Leader’s son. And he was selected for this mission— is this really okay?”
Seop Chun was genuinely worried.
Would Mong Mu-yak, with his arm severed, still join them on the mission?
Or would he return and report this to the Leader or Vice Leader?
If so, everything would go awry.
However,
“Are you worried?”
Mok Kyung-un showed no such concern.
In a situation where disaster might strike, did he feel no worry at all?
To Seop Chun furrowing his brow, Mok Kyung-un said,
“More importantly, search that guy’s body for anything.”
“Pardon?”
“Search him, I said.”
“......Understood.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s command, Seop Chun was puzzled for a moment but ransacked Mong Mu-yak’s belongings without further question.
Aside from silver coins and his Heaven-Earth Society identity plaque, there was nothing special.
But something unexpected was found in a small pouch hidden inside his leather shoe.
-Rustle rustle!
“Hmm?”
What was this?
Inside was a small red vial.
Why hide something like this inside his shoe lining?
Staring at it suspiciously, Seop Chun soon brought it to Mok Kyung-un.
“He had this hidden.”
“Is that so?”
Mok Kyung-un took the vial, about the size of two fingers, and shook it.
It was hard to guess what was inside from that.
Mok Kyung-un nodded toward Mong Mu-yak and said to Seop Chun,
“Wake him.”
“Is it okay to wake him right now?”
“What wouldn’t be?”
“Understood.”
Seop Chun pressed one of Mong Mu-yak’s acupoints and infused qi.
Mong Mu-yak, who had lost consciousness, soon opened his eyes.
“Hup.”
Mong Mu-yak bolted upright, coughing and looking at Seop Chun with a bewildered expression.
“Cough cough...”
For a moment, Mong Mu-yak thought it was a dream.
But upon seeing his severed left arm, he realized it was reality.
Unable to bear the pain, Mong Mu-yak grimaced fiercely.
Seop Chun couldn’t hide his inner guilt toward him.
‘......He lost his arm needlessly because of me.’
If he had attacked with intent to kill from the start, perhaps the arm wouldn’t have been severed, as Mok Kyung-un said.
Losing an arm for a martial artist meant a drastic drop in power, disrupting balance and everything.
He understood the guy’s feelings well.
Then Mong Mu-yak spoke with eyes mixed with all sorts of emotions.
“Have you betrayed the Society?”
At this question, Seop Chun hurriedly waved his hands.
“As if. Why would we betray the Society?”
“Then why!”
Mong Mu-yak’s voice rose.
Filled with rage, he glared at Seop Chun before turning to Mok Kyung-un and saying,
“Did you do this?”
He raised his severed arm.
Deep down, he wanted to chop their arms off too, but knowing he was at a disadvantage, he barely suppressed his fury and lowered his voice.
To him, Mok Kyung-un smiled and said,
“Are you aggrieved about losing your arm?”
“You!”
The barely contained anger flared again at the taunting tone.
Seop Chun warned him,
“Calm down.”
“Calm down? If you were in this situation, could you? If you’re not spies or plants, how could you do this?”
“......”
Seop Chun had no answer.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it was to prove loyalty.
But Mok Kyung-un seemed unburdened by such sentiments.
Still smiling, he approached Mong Mu-yak.
Then he thrust the red vial forward and said,
“More importantly, what’s this?”
‘!?’
Mong Mu-yak, who had been unable to contain his anger moments ago, suddenly calmed.
‘How does he have that?’
It was what his father, Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon, had given him.
[If that guy contacts Orthodox faction people or shows suspicious signs in the imperial palace, use this. You know how, right?]
Instinctively, Mong Mu-yak crossed his ankles, checking for the vial hidden in his shoe lining.
It was gone.
‘Damn it.’
They must have searched his belongings.
The target Vice Leader Mong Seo-cheon had told him to use it on was none other than Mok Kyung-un.
For Mok Kyung-un to hold it now was utterly disconcerting.
Unable to speak, Mok Kyung-un asked again,
“You won’t say you don’t know since it was on you?”
“......”
“Why no answer? Don’t you know what it is?”
At the repeated questions, Mong Mu-yak made an excuse.
“......It’s needed for this mission.”
“Mission?”
“Yeah.”
Thinking about it, he hadn’t used it yet, and as it was for a secret mission, a vague excuse would suffice.
What could they do to him over this?
But Mok Kyung-un smirked and said,
“Needed for the mission?”
“Yeah, nothing special.”
“Ahh, I see.”
“You’ll find out when the mission...”
“It’s practically started already, so knowing now is fine, right?”
Mong Mu-yak responded calmly to Mok Kyung-un’s persistent questioning.
“They said the advance team will explain the exact use, so I really don’t know either.”
“The advance team?”
“Yeah.”
This excuse should end the questions.
However,
“Hmm, is that so?”
Mok Kyung-un, who had been nodding, suddenly uncorked the red vial.
-Pop!
“Wh-what are you doing? Close it now!”
Mong Mu-yak shouted in panic at Mok Kyung-un.
Mok Kyung-un tilted his head and said,
“Why are you so startled?”
“Close it quick! Close it, I said!”
“This is weird. You said you didn’t know, but the moment I open it, why the fuss?”
“Th-that’s...”
“Do you really not know?”
“I... I just heard it’s dangerous. That’s why—please close it.”
Mok Kyung-un thrust the vial closer to the pleading Mong Mu-yak, who flailed wildly to create distance.
“You really!”
“Hold him.”
At Mok Kyung-un’s order, Seop Chun pinned Mong Mu-yak’s shoulders.
“L-let go!”
Mok Kyung-un grew genuinely curious about the vial’s contents from Mong Mu-yak’s hysterical reaction.
So he brought it close playfully and said,
“Even if dangerous, a little taste wouldn’t hurt, right? Your body’s in no shape for the mission anyway, so for our sake...”
“B-bursting worm!”
“What?”
“What’s inside is the bursting worm. It’s tiny enough to enter through mouth or nose—please close it. I beg you.”
In the end, Mong Mu-yak revealed the truth.
Mok Kyung-un smirked and closed the lid.
“You said you didn’t know, but you did?”
“......”
“No need to tremble so much. I sealed the opening with qi.”
Mong Mu-yak gritted his teeth at those words.
This bastard was toying with him.
But showing emotion here wouldn’t benefit him.
“......I had to keep it secret for the mission, as only I was to know. Not hiding out of ill will.”
“Sure. So what exactly is a bursting worm?”
Even Mok Kyung-un had never heard of it.
Mong Mu-yak explained,
“It’s a beetle native to the remote deserts of the Western Regions.”
“A worm, so naturally. But your reaction suggests it’s quite dangerous?”
“......Yeah. Once inside the body, it burrows into blood vessels and travels the meridians.”
‘Burrows into blood vessels?’
Seop Chun clicked his tongue at the words.
Just hearing it sounded gruesome and perilous.
But why bring something so dangerous on a rescue mission?
As he wondered, Mok Kyung-un said,
“Traveling the meridians is dangerous enough, but that’s not the end, is it?”
“......”
“There are other issues?”
‘Cunning bastard.’
Impossible to fool.
Since deception was futile anyway, Mong Mu-yak revealed the truth.
“......This worm is extremely vulnerable to sunlight.”
“Sunlight?”
“Yeah. In the Western Regions, it’s also called desert night bane.”
“Desert night bane?”
“It goes from egg to adult in just one or two hours. But it’s so weak to light that even a bit causes it to burst and die.”
“That means...”
“Yeah. Once infected with bursting worms, the moment sunlight hits, all meridians rupture, and you die.”
“Ha!”
Seop Chun shook his head at Mong Mu-yak’s words.
In a way, this seemed more dangerous than extreme poison.
Poison could be neutralized by a master circulating qi.
But could one possibly extract every tiny worm flowing through the meridians?
Likely impossible.
“Finding such a bug is impressive.”
“I don’t know how they got it. I heard it’s hard to find because it lives deep underground in deserts, parasitizing moles, earthworms, and such due to its light vulnerability.”
“And yet here it is.”
Mok Kyung-un shook the vial vigorously.
Mong Mu-yak fidgeted anxiously and said,
“Be careful. Even if sturdy, a mistake could shatter it—disaster.”
“True. But why would the Vice Leader’s son carry something so dangerous?”
At Mok Kyung-un’s words, Mong Mu-yak sighed and answered,
“Didn’t I say? For the mission.”
“The mission... Yeah, right.”
With that, Mok Kyung-un whispered in Mong Mu-yak’s ear.
“But that mission is to use it if the Orthodox faction hostage Mok Kyung-un contacts other Orthodox people in the imperial palace or shows suspicious signs, right?”
‘!!!!!!!!!’
Mong Mu-yak’s face instantly paled and stiffened.