Namgoong Myung, a man who never backed down, tried to lighten the somber mood.

“Well… if you think about it, it’s not like we haven’t seen each other in ages. Haha.”

Once again, the professor simply crossed his arms, offering no response. Unable to bear the silence any longer, Dang Moo-jin jabbed Namgoong Myung in the ribs with his elbow.

“Namgoong Myung, if you can’t read the room, just keep quiet.”

Namgoong Myung looked at Dang Moo-jin with an expression that said he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Of all people, he didn’t expect to hear about his lack of tact from Dang Moo-jin.

But Dang Moo-jin didn’t even glance at Namgoong Myung, focusing instead on assessing the situation as he’d been taught by his mentor.

‘Even in dangerous moments, staying sharp is the key to survival.’

The first thing he checked was the leader’s condition.

Though he was said to have internal injuries, his complexion was fine, and he didn’t seem to be struggling for breath or balance. There were no obvious signs of discomfort.

Whether he was hiding his pain or had managed to control it completely was unclear. But in such situations, it was best to be cautious and assume the worst.

Even if the leader’s story wasn’t a trick, there was no reason to return to the cult. The Great War had essentially ended in victory for the righteous sects. Guangyeom saw no reason to board a sinking ship.

Thus, Guangyeom expressed his refusal to the leader.

”…Not yet!”

However, Guangyeom’s response was oddly noncommittal. Despite his limited education, he wasn’t lacking in judgment or social skills.

If he were to lose a fight against the leader, Guangyeom thought it better to side with him to survive. The word “yet” left room for such a possibility.

The leader nodded.

“Not yet… I see.”

While the leader and Guangyeom were talking, Dang Moo-jin and Namgoong Myung were subtly inching backward, trying to put some distance between themselves and the others. If they could just get a little farther, they might be able to escape.

‘Guangyeom, I’ll come back for you when I can. Stay safe…’

But the leader didn’t miss their movements. Raising his voice slightly, he called out.

“You two seem to be in a hurry to leave?”

Namgoong Myung awkwardly replied to the leader’s question.

“Not exactly…”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you go so easily.”

They never expected to be let go without a hitch. They had planned to use Guangyeom as a decoy for a reason. Just as Dang Moo-jin and Namgoong Myung were about to show their resolve, the leader spoke again.

“But I have no intention of fighting you either.”

Dang Moo-jin and Namgoong Myung stopped and turned around.

“No intention of fighting?” “Yes. Fighting is the simplest solution, but not the best one.”

The leader took a step closer as he spoke.

Dang Moo-jin, Namgoong Myung, and even Guangyeom, who was a bit slow to catch on, all took a step back in response to the leader and his lieutenant’s movements.

The leader spoke again.

“I know the Great War ended in defeat for the cult, and that it’s time to step back. Besides… I don’t want to fight anymore.”

The leader’s voice remained calm throughout. Even the lieutenant didn’t find the leader’s demeanor strange. Perhaps there had been a significant change in circumstances.

However, Dang Moo-jin wasn’t ready to take the leader’s words at face value.

“You say you don’t want to fight, yet you won’t let us go. What does that mean?” “It’s simple. If I let you go, you’ll call for reinforcements and bring the righteous sects down on us.”

The leader’s words pierced through Dang Moo-jin’s intentions. Whether it was due to the leader’s sharp intuition or because he’d overheard their conversation was unclear.

“I just want to return to the mountains with my lieutenant. To live peacefully with those who remain and reflect on what I’ve missed.”

Whether the leader was sincere or not was uncertain. But one thing was clear: his plan wouldn’t work. Not after Yu Guang had caused a stir in the mountains recently.

Dang Moo-jin shouted.

“So, what do you want from us?” “It’s simple. Accompany us for a while.” “Accompany you… You mean all the way to the mountains?”

The leader shook his head.

“I’d love that, but I know it’s not a condition you’d easily accept. Just accompany us to a place where you can call for reinforcements. Near Gongdong Mountain should suffice.”

Gongdong Mountain was at the western edge of the righteous sects’ territory. It was a bit far, but not entirely unreasonable.

“And if we refuse?” “The outcome won’t be favorable for either of us. But let me warn you, even if you scatter and run, I can catch at least two of you.”

Their plan to use Guangyeom as a decoy had failed.

How much time had passed? Two figures approached and stopped in front of the blind master of the Golden Pavilion.

Though he couldn’t see, the master had senses sharper than most martial artists. It wasn’t hard for him to recognize one of the figures as his longtime chief steward.

When the master lifted his head, a familiar voice spoke.

“Master, it’s Chief Seo.” “Hmm…? Ah, yes. And who is with you?” “It’s Manager Gong.”

The master searched his memory. Manager Gong. With so many merchants under the Golden Pavilion, there were dozens of managers overseeing large trading houses.

Though he didn’t know Manager Gong’s face, he could easily recall details about him. Like how he once took his nine wives and granddaughter on a short trade trip to Taiyuan.

“Ah, Manager Gong. Did you have a good trip? Is your granddaughter well?” “Yes, thanks to you, Master.” “I doubt I had much to do with it, but if I did, her well-being is thanks to you, not me.” “Haha, is that so.” “So, what brings you here? You’ve been a manager for over ten years, so I doubt anything significant happened on a short trip to Taiyuan.” “I heard you were inquiring about someone’s whereabouts, Master.” “Indeed.”

For weeks, he’d been asking Dang Moo-jin’s group about the whereabouts of a middle-aged man and a young woman. Though the group disappeared that night, leaving no trace…

“On our way from Taiyuan to Luoyang, just yesterday afternoon, I saw people matching their description.”

The master’s voice held a note of interest at Manager Gong’s words.

“Oh, really? Tell me more.” “I don’t remember the middle-aged man’s face, but there was a woman with him. Not old, but not young either, with a large scar running from under her eye to the back of her face.” “Hmm, go on.” “Both the man and the woman carried swords, and the scabbards were quite impressive. But they didn’t look like bandits or soldiers. Oh, and they were heading west.”

If they carried swords but weren’t bandits or soldiers, they were likely martial artists. It seemed highly probable they were the people Dang Moo-jin and Namgoong Myung were searching for.

The master nodded, expressing his gratitude.

“Thanks to you, I’ve found them quickly. Thank you.”

But Manager Gong wasn’t finished.

“But there were more than just the two of them.” “Hmm?” “There were five in total. The two were moving a bit apart from the other three, but they walked and stopped together, so they seemed to be a group.”

Since he was already providing information to Dang Moo-jin’s group, he thought it might be helpful to share details about the others as well. The master asked Manager Gong about the three others.

“What did the other three look like?” “One was a man who seemed well over fifty, and the other two were young. The older man looked like an official, with a thin face and pale skin, but he carried a large sword. One of the young men had a neat appearance, while the third was a bit unusual.” “Unusual how?” “Instead of a palm, he had a large finger on his left arm. I’ve seen many things in my life, but never someone like that.”

”···”

The master recalled that Namgoong Myung had a prosthetic left arm. Though he’d never met him in person, he wasn’t sure if it ended in fingers or not.

“Then the other two must be Dang Moo-jin and Jegal-yeon.”

It seemed they’d found the people Dang Moo-jin’s group was looking for, saving them the trouble of searching further. As the master was about to thank Manager Gong, he added more to his story.

“But those three seemed a bit strange.”

The master nodded. Given the antics Namgoong Myung had pulled at the Golden Pavilion and the occasional rumors about Dang Moo-jin and Namgoong Myung, it wasn’t surprising. After all, their eccentricities had made news across the martial world.

“Of course, having fingers on your left arm would look strange no matter what. But then again, we were never ordinary people to begin with… You’ve been through a lot.”

However, that wasn’t the point Master Gong was trying to make.

“That’s not what I meant. For reasons unknown, they looked at us with an intense desperation. We were worried that getting involved with such peculiar martial artists might cause trouble, so we passed by without speaking. But now that I think about it, perhaps we should have stopped and talked to them…”

At this point, even the owner of the Manor realized something was amiss.

Though he wasn’t well-versed in the affairs of the martial world, he knew that Tang Mujin and Namgung Myung were renowned masters. Especially Namgung Myung, who was the head of the famous Namgung family.

The fact that these three were so anxious about two strangers was anything but normal.