Fugitive (5)
Our goal wasn't to kill them, but to subdue them.
To uncover the truth behind this place, we needed someone who could talk.
That's why we'd extinguished the lights.
The darker it was, the more it favored a small elite force like ours.
Pa-ba-bak!
Ta-da-dat!
We overpowered them and sealed their acupoints to prevent any resistance.
Then we stripped away the cloth covering the night pearls.
Hwaak!
The surroundings suddenly brightened, and the guards protecting the prison groaned in agony, as if the abrupt light had damaged their eyes.
We'd subdued a total of ten men.
I had everyone except one blindfolded.
"Ugh!"
"Eueuk!"
"W-Who are you?"
"Do you think you'll get away with this?"
Puk!
Peureok!
They couldn't move their bodies, so they just blabbered with their mouths.
The warriors punched the ones they'd each subdued.
"Keok!"
"Keuheok!"
It was a reminder of their current predicament.
Thanks to that, the area fell silent.
"Cowardly dogs always bark the loudest. No need to wonder who we are or why we're doing this—just answer my questions."
I continued.
"What is this prison for?"
They responded to my question.
"You think we'll just tell you that...?"
"I know you won't spill easily, and I know exactly how to make you talk."
Puk!
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior thrust his sword into the thigh of the one whose eyes weren't covered and twisted it.
"Euaaaak!"
His piercing scream made the blindfolded men's bodies tremble.
When vision is blocked, hearing and smell become more acute.
In other words, the sound of the blade piercing flesh, the scream, and the smell of blood stimulated their imaginations.
The human imagination is often more terrifying than reality.
I turned to look at the fugitive.
He had a somewhat uneasy expression.
"What's wrong?"
"It just... feels off."
"What does?"
"I'd heard you were righteous, but the way you look right now..."
"Not so righteous, huh?"
He flinched and nodded at my question.
"Sometimes even I feel like a demon. There are times I wonder if it has to be this way."
I chuckled softly.
"But to save someone, you sometimes have to act like a demon. Being kind to everyone saves no one—and you might lose your own life in the process."
"Seonhyeop... isn't easy."
I nodded.
"Good and evil are two sides of the same coin. If I'm evil to them, I'm good to those locked in here."
"..."
I'd thought someone with so many aliases would know the world well, but apparently not.
"So..."
I grinned wickedly at the subdued men.
"If you don't talk, you'll see just how far I can go."
As soon as I finished, the Yeo Eung-am Warrior twisted the sword again.
"Geuaaak!"
"So spit it out quick—it's better for your health. Our young master is truly terrifying."
I picked up where the Yeo Eung-am Warrior left off.
"The first one to talk gets a painless death."
"..."
"Or would you prefer a painful one?"
A reaction came immediately.
"N-No! I'll talk!"
"Me! I'll tell you everything!"
I tapped one of them on the shoulder.
"You first."
"Yes!"
He spoke quickly.
"Th-This is the Thunder Prison."
"I know that. And I'm impatient—I might give the chance to someone else..."
"The higher-ups judged them a hindrance to their plans and locked them up."
A hindrance...
"That doesn't make sense. If they're a problem, why not just kill them...?"
My question was answered from elsewhere.
"They're too valuable to kill."
A weak but clear voice.
I turned toward it.
A young man sitting inside the Thunder Prison, watching us.
His clothes were tattered and shabby, but his eyes burned with sharp clarity.
"Are you perhaps the great hero Seonhyeopmirang?"
"That's what they call me. You know me?"
"I saw you at the Yongbong Competition."
"I see. And who might you be, young master?"
"I'm Yun Seong-jin of the Anhui Province's Jin Soyun Clan."
What? Yun Seong-jin of the Jin Soyun Clan?
I couldn't help but be shocked. I'd heard of him.
"The young master who went missing?"
There was a reward of five hundred silver taels.
"Is that how it's known?"
"Yes. You're reported as missing. What happened?"
"Sigh... I woke up here. From what I've pieced together from the guards' chatter, these people are hindrances to their plans but useful enough to keep imprisoned."
"I see."
Yun Seong-jin explained calmly.
In my previous life, he never returned.
"How many are locked up here?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but over ten. That's how many rice bowls came on the cart."
Even in this situation, he'd counted the bowls—quite composed and resilient.
"Why were you imprisoned, young master Yun?"
"I don't know."
I turned to the black道 warriors we'd subdued.
They trembled, eyes covered.
I questioned the one in blue pants I'd pointed out earlier.
"So, where are these higher-ups?"
"Th-That's..."
I shook my head, and the Yi Pil Warrior stabbed his sword into the man's shoulder and twisted.
"Geuaaak!"
"Anyone else want to answer?"
One of the black道 men shouted desperately.
"W-We belong to the Black Cat Sect! We were just following the sect leader's orders!"
Black Cat Sect...
This was right in the heart of Henan Province.
Territory firmly controlled by the Murim Alliance.
Would some Black Cat Sect dare do this without fearing the Alliance?
No way.
This had to be with the Murim Alliance's tacit approval or direct orders.
"First things first—let's free the prisoners."
At my words, Yun Seong-jin shook his head.
"You can free us later. Even if we escape the Thunder Prison now, we can't help."
"Don't tell me... Scattering Powder Poison?"
"Yes."
That explained it...
The guards weren't that strong, yet no one had escaped.
They'd been poisoned to seal their martial arts.
I'd suspected as much.
Even martial artists can't use inner energy under its effects—they're no different from well-trained ordinary folk with weapons.
Unless they specialized in external arts, but no one like that would be imprisoned here.
"Understood. Then..."
I asked the black道 men.
"Anyone to guide us to the Black Cat Sect?"
"..."
"No takers? Then we'll burn you alive..."
"I-I'll guide you!"
Sigh, always need threats to get them talking.
Thus, guided by that black道 warrior, we arrived at the Black Cat Sect.
"Hm..."
"Heh heh heh. Impressed? This is the might of our Black Cat Sect! You're as good as dead now."
"..."
The black道 warrior beside me smirked vilely.
The Black Cat Sect was larger than expected, with plenty of warriors.
"Impressive presence, as you say."
We could handle them with our forces, but I couldn't guarantee zero casualties.
How to...
Aha!
I smiled faintly, and spotting it, the fugitive asked.
"Got a good idea, brother?"
I chuckled lightly at his question.
"Fugitive brother."
"Yes?"
"Suppose someone secretly makes food to eat in secret. Then another comes and says it's spoiled—throw it out—even though it's fine. They can't admit they made it since it's not spoiled. They'd have to toss what they spent time and money on. Pretty frustrating, right?"
"Frustrating? They'd be furious. Why ask?"
He hadn't grasped my intent yet.
Of course— he didn't know the Murim Alliance's true face.
I turned without elaborating.
"Something like that. Let's hurry back."
We returned to the Thunder Prison immediately.
"Follow my orders from now on."
"Yes."
"As you command."
Conveniently, there were writing materials, so I penned a letter and handed it to the Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
"Deliver this to the Murim Alliance fastest. And..."
I gave further instructions.
"Got it."
"Then let's rescue these people and gather them in one place."
We freed Yun Seong-jin first.
Even without inner energy, he looked the youngest—likely most helpful.
"What's the plan?"
"The Black Cat Sect is bigger than I thought. Calling in reinforcements."
"Reinforcements?"
"Yes. But escaping here comes first, so we're rushing."
As we identified the prisoners, we were astonished.
Most were prominent figures.
One in particular shocked even me.
Jeok Ui Hwa Ta (Red-Clothed Hwa Ta), one of the Empire's Five Great Divine Physicians, was imprisoned.
He was the supreme authority on treating external wounds.
He always wore red so bloodstains wouldn't show.
He still wore red now.
Faded from time, but red nonetheless.
He clasped his hands in greeting to me.
"Thank you for saving me."
"No need for thanks. We must leave quickly."
I asked the Seo-u Warrior.
"Have you freed everyone imprisoned here?"
"Yes."
Then Jeok Ui Hwa Ta spoke.
"One more. He's... ah! Like that young man over there—a man with blue-tipped hair."
"Pardon?"
"W-What do you mean? Blue hair like mine?"
The fugitive asked in confusion, and Jeok Ui Hwa Ta pointed.
"Over there—another Thunder Prison."
The fugitive rushed there immediately; I followed.
Another prison indeed.
And this was beneath the willow grove I'd seen earlier.
So this was where I'd heard the groans.
Seogeok!
The fugitive sliced the bars and leaped inside.
He knelt before a man lying on the floor and wailed.
"Master! Master! Please wake up! It's me! Geuk is here!"
I approached and checked the middle-aged man's pulse.
Fortunately.
Not dead—just unconscious.
But severely weakened and in poor condition.
No proper meals, long in this damp place—health wouldn't hold.
Jeok Ui Hwa Ta said from behind.
"He was critical when he arrived. I treated his external wounds—that was the best I could do."
"So you've been treating everyone here, Divine Physician?"
"How could I watch them die? I begged, and under their watch, I did what I could."
"I see."
They'd survived thanks to him.
"He's not just poisoned with Scattering Powder—something worse. I've suppressed it with acupuncture, but he won't last long."
Poison...
I'd sensed it from my inner energy reacting to his pulse.
Most poisons I could detox.
But escaping first was priority.
Black Cat Sect swarming would be trouble.
"Hurry—carry him. Let's go."
"Got it, brother."
Thus, we'd unexpectedly found the fugitive's master too.
Murim Alliance.
A single letter arrived at dawn in the Alliance Leader's hands.
Brought by a warrior who stood at the main gate and shouted loudly.
Eun Seo-ho, sub-branch leader of the Eunhae Merchant Group and one indebted to the Alliance Leader, humbly submits this letter with utmost respect. While passing through Henan, I discovered and rescued people imprisoned in a cave, and in the process, learned it involves a black道 group called the Black Cat Sect...
"Hoo."
The Alliance Leader sighed and crumpled the letter.
Black Cat Sect.
He knew them well.
After all, he'd ordered them to build the Thunder Prison in the cave and lock people up.
'Those idiots!'
He wanted to ignore the letter, but couldn't.
Eun Seo-ho was the one he'd bestowed the title Seonhyeopmirang upon.
Ignoring it was unthinkable.
Especially with the last part.
In case this relates to bandits, I've also requested support from the Imperial Palace.
If the palace found any evidence linking back to him...
He clenched his eyes shut and bit his lip.
He had to eliminate the Black Cat Sect first.
"Convene an emergency meeting! Now!"