Chapter 388
Chapter 388
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 102
>Chapter Title: Return (1)
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Heaven-Earth Society inner fortress headquarters, Deputy Leader's office.
Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon stared fixedly at someone with a fearsome expression for a long while.
It was none other than Mong Muyak—Mong Seocheon's son, deputy to the Society Leader's direct aide, and commander of the Intelligence Bureau.
The look in Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon's eyes as he gazed at Mong Muyak was peculiar.
He had summoned him initially seething with rage to berate him, but upon seeing his face, the changed aura made him regain his composure.
‘...This kid?’
He had changed.
He used to always show a trace of fear when facing him.
Yet now, their eyes met directly without the slightest flicker.
It wasn't defiance—it was clear confidence.
Had his martial prowess risen, by any chance?
Before he left this place, he could gauge his level through qi sense.
But now, he couldn't accurately discern it.
To conceal and suppress one's qi from an opponent like him required at least equal footing, or surpassing him.
‘No way?’
He had anticipated growth and valuable experience from this top-secret, extraordinarily difficult mission.
But this exceeded his expectations by far.
Had this child somehow reached near his own level, or even breached the wall?
If so, he should be thrilled since he was his heir, but the current situation left no room for simple joy.
After staring at his son in silence for a long time, Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon finally spoke in a low voice.
“I need to hear three excuses from you.”
“Please ask.”
The one who replied was none other than his son, Mong Muyak—deputy to the Society Leader's direct aide and commander of the Intelligence Bureau.
He had just returned to the Society and was now facing his father, Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon.
“Even if we excuse the lack of periodic reports during your return due to persistent pursuit, you knew this was a top-secret mission. Why did you enter through the main gate instead of the secret passage?”
Their mission was top-secret, plain and simple.
Yet they had acted in a way that shattered all expectations.
Because of that, various sects might have already discovered the existence of the Sacred Flame Lord by now.
Even if they had hidden her in the carriage, it wasn't safe.
He was curious about their intentions for such recklessness.
“Speak.”
“I'll be frank.”
“Frank?”
“Yes.”
“...What the hell are you talking about?”
“To show that we had returned.”
“What?”
At his son Mong Muyak's words, Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon's eyebrow shot up.
For a moment, he was dumbfounded.
Was this child serious?
With that answer alone, he had disobeyed the orders of both the Society Leader and himself.
He had hoped for some interference near the Society or a special circumstance, but this was the worst possible response.
“Have you forgotten what a top-secret mission entails?”
“I know. But if we hadn't done this, you would have killed Young Master Mok Kyung-un upon his successful return from the mission.”
“You!”
Mong Seocheon's voice rose sharply.
This tied directly into his second question, as expected.
His order had been to kill Mok Kyung-un if he made contact with the orthodox faction or showed any suspicious signs.
Everyone deployed on this top-secret mission had been instructed to sacrifice Mok Kyung-un if necessary—he was little more than a disposable pawn.
Thus, Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon was deeply irritated that the one he had hoped to eliminate before their return had come back alive.
And,
“Right now... did you just call him Young Master Mok Kyung-un?”
“Yes.”
“You don't mean... you and that guy...”
“It's not 'and.' Mok Kyung-un succeeded in the mission, so from that moment, he is the Society Leader's fourth disciple. Naturally, I must address him as Young Master.”
“...”
Mong Seocheon was left speechless at his son's response, utterly exasperated.
He had suspected as much, but this child truly believed the Society Leader would accept that guy as a disciple?
He himself didn't understand why the Leader had shown such whimsy, but the Leader was in no state to take disciples now.
“So you call him Young Master and disobey secret orders for that?”
“Didn't I tell you?”
“Are you claiming you disobeyed orders out of fear he'd be discarded like a worn-out shoe?”
“It's not a claim—it's fact.”
“...You're disappointing your father for the first time.”
“...I only did what I had to.”
-Bam!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Mong Seocheon slammed the round table in front of him.
The table shattered and collapsed feebly, and Mong Seocheon spoke in a voice thick with anger.
“You have no idea what you've done. My last question seems pointless now, so I'll replace it with an order.”
“An order?”
“Bring Mok Kyung-un...”
No. He wasn't needed right now.
That guy had plenty of enemies anyway; leaving him be wouldn't matter.
“Forget that guy for now. Bring the Sacred Flame Lord immediately.”
Putting out the urgent fire came first.
He had ordered them to bring the Sacred Flame Lord, yet not only did they avoid the secret passage, they entered boldly through the front gate and even took a carriage straight to the Hidden Clan.
This was blatant disobedience.
It was a secret order, and circumstances didn't allow mobilizing the Leader's direct troops openly, so he had no choice but to give the order to Mong Muyak.
But,
“I cannot do that.”
What came from Mong Muyak's mouth was clear refusal.
Enraged, Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon shot to his feet, raising his voice.
“Are you truly defying my order?”
“The only disobedience was the method of return. More importantly, the Young Master requests that the Society Leader honor his promise and grant him a private audience.”
“Hah?”
Honor the promise and grant a private audience?
Was he conveying that punk Mok Kyung-un's will to his direct superior and father?
These insolent brats were crossing the line.
With that, Mong Seocheon's hand moved.
-Pat!
The table was already shattered, and he had risen, closing the mere one-and-a-half pace distance in an instant—within arm's reach.
He aimed to subdue him in one move with the Capturing Hand technique, but,
-Papapak!
Mong Muyak not only lightly blocked his technique but pushed back Deputy Leader Mong Seocheon.
Mong Seocheon stumbled back three paces, his eyes widening in shock.
He had suspected from the qi sense, but this child's martial arts had truly neared the wall.
Even after surviving mortal peril and returning safely, how had his power surged so much in just a few months?
As he puzzled over it, Mong Muyak spoke.
“Deputy Leader—no, Father.”
“You...”
“Just as you chose to serve the Society Leader, I have chosen Young Master Mok Kyung-un.”
“You call that...”
“You may scold me now, Father, but your mind will change soon.”
‘!?’
* * *
Around the same time.
Hidden Clan manor in the inner fortress.
Hwan Yaseon, leader of the Hidden Clan—one of the Heaven-Earth Society's Three Clan Leaders and a high-ranking executive who had rushed back to the Hidden Clan upon receiving the report—had bewilderment in his eyes.
According to the report from the Hidden Clan warrior who delivered the message, Mok Kyung-un hadn't returned via the Society's secret passage but through the main gate.
Yet the gate guards said there was an old woman in the carriage.
‘The Sacred Flame Lord!’
Upon hearing this, Hidden Clan Leader Hwan Yaseon was certain that old woman was the Sacred Flame Lord.
But what in the world was this disaster?
Her survival and escape from the imperial palace's underground Golden Prison was joyous news as the spiritual pillar of the Hundred Flowers Cult, but bringing her here—what madness was this?
‘I gave a clear order.’
His command to Mok Kyung-un had been to spirit away the Sacred Flame Lord before returning to the Heaven-Earth Society.
He had trusted the boy's ingenuity and skill to succeed in such a perilous mission.
But an utterly unforeseen variable had arisen.
‘What the hell did he do?’
He had trusted Mok Kyung-un as a fellow Hundred Flowers Cult member and disciple.
Yet now that he had brought the Sacred Flame Lord here, he couldn't fathom why.
If he had offered her to the Society Leader, it could be dismissed as betrayal for the sake of becoming the fourth disciple, but he brought her to the Hidden Clan.
This put him in an extremely precarious position.
‘Why?’
With the Sacred Flame Lord in the Hidden Clan, all eyes from the Society Leader's direct aides and the Intelligence Bureau were now fixed here.
No, this was a situation ripe for suspicion.
He had disobeyed the Leader's order and brought the one he was told to retrieve straight to the Hidden Clan.
Hidden Clan Leader Hwan Yaseon's mind grew chaotic.
What should he do?
The silver lining was that the Deputy Leader and Leader's direct aides seemed to be suppressing and concealing the information somehow, but the Society Leader's condition appeared critical.
In that case,
‘...Even if it means abandoning this base, should I attempt an escape with the Sacred Flame Lord?’
She held a vital position in the Cult.
As someone in the Cult Leader's seat, he had a duty to protect her.
If she fell into the Society Leader's grasp, her safety would be at risk.
He had to make some decision.
Just then, word arrived that the carriage had reached the manor's rear garden, and Hidden Clan Leader Hwan Yaseon arrived.
‘!?’
Upon arrival, Hwan Yaseon immediately frowned.
He had ordered them to detain Mok Kyung-un and the carriage upon arrival.
It was to avoid suspicion with the Intelligence Bureau's eyes on them.
Yet all the Hidden Clan warriors in the rear garden lay collapsed, and several masked figures were unconscious by the walls.
What had happened?
Why were they all in this state?
Puzzled, Hwan Yaseon's gaze turned to the carriage.
‘What’s that?’
In front of the carriage stood a horse of enormous build, incomparable to ordinary steeds.
Its wild, fiery mane alone marked it as an exceptional divine steed.
Standing before it with hands clasped behind his back was someone.
“Kyung-un?”
At his call, the figure unclasped his hands and turned.
It was Mok Kyung-un.
Mok Kyung-un smiled faintly, then clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowing to his master as per custom.
“It's been a long time, Master.”
At this greeting, Hidden Clan Leader Hwan Yaseon eyed him warily, his hand drifting to the sword at his waist as he spoke.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Hwan Yaseon gestured with his eyes at the fallen Hidden Clan warriors around them.
At this question, Mok Kyung-un shrugged and replied.
“They're not dead.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
That wasn't the intent of his question.
Not only had he brought the Sacred Flame Lord here, but he had knocked out all the Hidden Clan warriors ordered to surround them to evade external surveillance.
This could only be seen as deliberate, no matter how one looked at it.
As his hand rested on his sword hilt, Mok Kyung-un said,
“I've dealt with the watchers too, so speak freely.”
Mok Kyung-un pointed to two spots.
They were the western and southeastern walls, where the collapsed masked figures were not Hidden Clan members.
Hidden Clan Leader Hwan Yaseon couldn't be unaware of this.
“I'm not asking about that, and you know it...”
-Swish!
At that moment, Hwan Yaseon frowned.
Someone had pressed a sharp sword tip against his back while he gripped the sword hilt.
“Remove your hand from the sword, Clan Leader.”
‘No?’
To his disbelief, it was none other than Byeok—his bodyguard and trusted retainer.