Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Name Only We Know
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Tap, shuffle, shuffle.
A stooped back, one hand clasped behind him.
The old man had three footsteps. The cane in his other hand guided his steps, leading the way.
And so, he was slow. He took twice as long as an ordinary person to cover the same distance.
“Huu, huu.”
His breathing was so ragged.
Despite not having walked far, the old man stopped several times, each time catching his ragged breath.
Any kind-hearted soul watching would have been unable to bear the sight and might have offered to carry him on their back.
“He… he can barely walk. His legs seem to be giving him trouble…”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Just like Ju Seung and Wang Cheon, who followed beside him.
It seemed that even men who held life cheap could show kindness to the elderly. But Neung Un-bi merely smiled without a word.
Was it because practicing demonic arts had chilled his heart?
Not a chance.
No matter how much he had neglected his studies or how many lives he had been forced to take, he still understood basic human decency and compassion.
The reason he didn't pity the old man who struggled even to walk was that there was no need to.
Ju Seung and Wang Cheon would probably find out soon enough.
“It looks like he’s heading into that alley.”
“Run.”
“What?”
“Quickly, or we’ll lose him. Don’t forget to conceal your presence. And the suppression mantra.”
“...?!”
The moment the old man turned the corner and vanished from sight, Neung Un-bi broke into a sprint.
Lose him? An old man who could barely walk?
The order was utterly absurd, but Ju Seung, loyal to the bone, ran without complaint. Not to be outdone by Ju Seung, Wang Cheon competitively chased after Neung Un-bi.
“Huh!”
The alley was empty. The old man who had been struggling to walk just moments before had suddenly vanished.
What in the world had just happened?
There were no tracks to suggest he had sunk into the ground, and the walls were too high for him to have leaped over.
“Th-that way, Guard Captain!”
“...!”
At Ju Seung’s shout, Wang Cheon snapped his head up.
What he saw was not the old man, but Neung Un-bi, running along the top of the wall as if skimming its surface.
“Let’s go.”
What more needed to be said?
It seemed Neung Un-bi had known from the start that the old man's gait was a lie.
How on earth…
Pat, pat, pat!
“…”
Just as suspicion began to bloom again, Ju Seung ran along the top of the wall. His footsteps were light, but his speed was packed with genuine effort.
“Damn it… You think I’ll be left in the dust?”
The seeds of doubt that had been sprouting in Wang Cheon’s mind were uprooted by Ju Seung’s actions.
It no longer mattered whether his lord knew the old man or not. He would stick to him like glue and never fall behind.
An unexpected chase.
Neung Un-bi, who was trailing the old man from a safe distance so as not to be seen, glanced back.
The two were following him, maintaining the same distance he kept from the old man.
I told them to run…
Then again, even if they had received the order, they couldn't have expected this.
His acting of a dying man was truly first-rate, then and now. If I hadn't known him, I would have been completely fooled.
But the old man, like him, had mastered the Three Nothings Footwork.
A movement technique unknown to anyone in the Central Plains, a martial art passed down only to them.
Because they had once been on the same side.
However, his skill was not that impressive compared to Neung Un-bi's.
It had been true in the past, but the gap was even wider now.
This was because Neung Un-bi’s body was filled with the internal energy of the Demonic Spirit Divine Pill. If he stopped chanting the suppression mantra that concealed his identity, he could catch up in just a few breaths, despite the considerable distance.
But he couldn't let the distance close.
The purpose of this pursuit was not the old man, but the person the old man was going to meet.
Jahong. A name as longed for as 'that person' Neung Un-bi sought on his journey to the Central Plains.
But Neung Un-bi did not know Jahong's whereabouts.
He was the one who waited, and Jahong was the one who came to him.
The insect and plant painting from the art shop.
That painting, depicting peonies and butterflies, was a secret code between them.
The arrangement was that if one looked for Jahong while gazing at the painting, the old man would lead them to her.
Seeing the painting still hanging in the art shop thirty years after his death meant they were still at it. The old man wouldn't keep a failing art shop open for no reason, would he?
He must have been waiting for someone.
Someone who was helping 'that person' in his stead…
“Heh, now that I think about it, the old man had a reason to lie.”
Neung Un-bi, who had been recalling memories while chasing the old man, suddenly burst out laughing.
Isn't it funny, thinking about it?
He was no longer Cheok Wol-rin, but Neung Un-bi.
Yet some young punk had shown up spouting a secret code nobody should know… He hadn't shown it much, but he must have been shocked inwardly.
“I almost gave my old friend a heart attack.”
Still, seeing him run so well, I guess I don't need to worry about his heart.
However, the old man would have to stop soon. The Three Nothings Footwork had a fatal limitation.
As a movement technique that temporarily lightened the body and explosively released internal energy to cover a vast distance in an instant, its energy consumption was enormous.
He must have used it because he was worried about potential pursuers. Despite its limitation, it would make him seem to vanish the moment he turned a corner, ensuring that no ordinary person could follow him.
But quite some time had already passed.
Recalling the old man's level in the past, the maximum distance he could cover in one go was roughly… near that blue roof?
Just as predicted, the old man’s figure suddenly vanished, as if snuffed out.
[Wang Cheon! Ju Seung! Hide!]
“...!”
After urgently sending the mental message to the two, Neung Un-bi dropped to the ground near the blue roof.
Anbon? A back alley on the outskirts, away from the city center.
The old man was circling the alleys several times, walking with the same difficulty as when he first left the art shop.
He was checking for pursuers until the very end.
Then, he opened a small gate and went inside.
“Young Master, what in the world…”
Wang Cheon approached and tried to ask for a reason in a low voice, but Neung Un-bi just shook his head.
“Wang Cheon, Ju Seung.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, do not interfere under any circumstances. And don’t follow me inside.”
“What? What nonsense is this? How can a guard leave his lord’s side?”
“Just do as I say. No matter what.”
“But…”
“Yes! We will guard the perimeter.”
“…”
Just as Wang Cheon was about to argue, Ju Seung cut in.
That damned bastard again…
Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? What if someone attacks him inside while you're just guarding the perimeter!
Unlike Ju Seung, Wang Cheon had no intention of doing so.
Loyalty is one thing, but he couldn't abandon his duty as a guard. What if something happened to his lord?
Wang Cheon decided that he could not allow this, even if it meant earning Neung Un-bi's disapproval and being cast aside later.
“My lord.”
“I know what you're thinking.”
“…”
Wang Cheon was about to protest strongly, but Neung Un-bi spoke to him in an unusually gentle tone.
“This is very important to me.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll shout to let you know. That should be enough, right?”
“Grr.”
Wang Cheon couldn't object further and clenched his teeth.
How could he refuse when his lord was asking with such a sincere expression?
There must be a reason. A reason that, for some reason, he felt he shouldn't ask about.
“You must.”
“…”
“If there is even the slightest threat, you must let us know. Understand?!”
“I will. I promise.”
“Huu, please go inside. Ju Seung and I will stand guard out here.”
“Thank you for understanding. And for not asking questions.”
“Tsk, it’s not like you would have answered anyway.”
At Wang Cheon's grumbling, Neung Un-bi simply gave a faint smile and patted his shoulder.
Creeak.
Neung Un-bi opened the small door and went inside.
“As expected of the Guard Captain. Your concern for our lord is admirable. And I can see the genuine care for you in our lord’s eyes as well. Huhu.”
“…”
Wang Cheon glared at the brightly smiling Ju Seung with narrowed eyes.
“Leader of the Waning Moon.”
“Yes.”
“Shut up and keep watch.”
“...?”
Ju Seung tilted his head, puzzled by the sharp edge in his words.
Why is he angry?
…Truly the Guard Captain. He must still be worried about sending our lord in alone. I have much to learn.
Instead of getting provoked by Wang Cheon’s irritation, Ju Seung reflected on his own and made a resolution.
* * *
Slam!
When the door suddenly burst open, the person painting inside jumped in surprise, then tilted their head in confusion.
“Oh? What brings you here at this hour?”
“We must move our residence at once.”
“What?”
“Someone who knows the code of the insect painting has appeared.”
“The… the code of the insect painting?”
“Yes.”
“Then, could it be? Has contact finally been made?”
“No. It did not seem so. The one who came was a very young man.”
“What? A young man?”
“He even brought two men who appeared to be guards.”
“Then…?”
“I fear we have been discovered.”
“B-but…! I know it’s been a long time since we were ordered to close our doors and not seek any information, but nothing has happened for nearly ten years, has it?”
“I know. And that you told me to keep the insect painting hanging, just in case contact could be made with him.”
“…”
“He may not be an enemy. He could just be someone interested in the painting. But I have a bad feeling. I think we should move first and verify later.”
“Hmm… I understand. Let’s do that.”
“Pack only the important items. As soon as you are out, I will burn this place down to erase all traces.”
“What!? To that extent…”
Just as the old man nodded, Neung Un-bi appeared in the open doorway, and the old man’s subsequent actions were without hesitation.
The moment his surprised eyes registered the figure, he twisted his body and swung his hand wide.
Swoosh!
A streak of light shot out.
It was the cane the old man was holding.
As if he had expected it, Neung Un-bi leaned his upper body back and did a backflip.
Thwack!
The sound of a foot kicking off the floor.
Simultaneously with the attack, the old man rapidly closed the distance and swung his cane horizontally.
Whoosh!
“...!?”
But the sound was empty.
His flawless movement had cut through nothing but empty air.
How in the world?
The old man’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
How did he dodge so easily? It was as if he had momentarily vanished before his very eyes.
“Y-you are?”
Finally recognizing Neung Un-bi, the old man’s expression twisted.
The man from the art shop.
“Hey, really. I know I look suspicious, but attacking without a word is a bit much.”
Neung Un-bi stepped back, dusting off his chest with a playful expression, but the old man’s face remained cold.
Meanwhile, he stood protectively, blocking Neung Un-bi from getting any closer.
He had already seen Neung Un-bi’s movements. This was not an opponent he could be confident of defeating. So, rather than attacking rashly, he intended to buy time for the person inside to escape through a secret passage hidden in the room.
“Who in the world are you?”
“Me? Hmm… it’s hard to explain right now.”
He desperately wanted to tell them everything, but who would believe him?
That he, who had died thirty years ago, had come back to life, and had even become so young in the process.
Besides, to make them understand everything, he would have to reveal that he was from the Demonic Cult.
An impossible notion. As if they would welcome him warmly upon learning he was from the Demonic Cult.
They would fight to the death, no questions asked. Their prejudice against the Demonic Cult would be no different from his own before he had experienced it firsthand.
“Let’s just say I’m someone who knew your friend, Cheok Wol-rin.”
“Wh-what?”
“You were friends bound by a deeper loyalty than anyone, despite differences in age and gender, weren’t you? Even if you didn't meet that often.”
“How do you know that name?”
“Is that the only name? I also know the name Gim San.”
“...!”
The old man’s eyes widened.
“And Jahong… no, should I call you Sin Ye-rang?”
“...!”
The person behind the old man, whom he had been protecting, could not hide their shock either.
“My, my, if you’re going to lie, at least do it properly. Saying your father died, not your mother…”
“…”
Of course. The person behind the old man was a middle-aged beauty.
“So? How about we have a drink? If you don’t have any, I can go buy some.”
Neung Un-bi winked and smiled, but the old man, Gim San, and the middle-aged beauty, Sin Ye-rang, were speechless.
Names that only they knew had just come from the mouth of a young man they had never seen before.
Cheok Wol-rin, Gim San, Sin Ye-rang.
Secret names that no one aside from the parties involved should have known.