Chapter 11: The Unexpected Return

“You… you fiend!”

Pouring water on boiling oil inevitably causes an explosion.
Pil-Gu, whose goat-like beard trembled violently, his face red as a beet, roared with thunderous fury.

“Boys, attack them all! Show them the terror of the Great Black Wolf Sect so that Moyong Yeon will never walk again with all his limbs intact!!”

The Black Wolf Sect members, following Pil-Gu’s command, drew their swords and charged at Yeon again.

“Waaah!”

Their faces, filled with confidence, were visible along with their resounding shouts.
They seemed incapable of even imagining that they could lose against just two opponents.

‘Hah…’

Yeon, standing askew, scoffed at them.
And in a short moment, he lamented his plight of being ignored by such small fry.

‘These were fellows I could have easily dealt with even with my eyes closed.’

But reality was bitter.
In his current feeble physical state, he wasn’t even sure if he could properly take down one of them.
At this rate, he would simply get beaten up and have his money stolen, just as they wished.
But didn’t he have ‘that’?
As long as he had it, things wouldn’t go as those guys wished.

Heh heh.

Yeon let out a low, sinister chuckle.
And he confidently puffed out his chest and extended his arm.

Point.

His confident finger pointed at the momentarily bewildered Pil-Gu.
Not only that, Yeon’s eyes sparkled as he loudly shouted.

“Go, Muyoung! It’s your turn! Show them your full power!”

“…?”

However, the situation didn’t unfold as Yeon wished.
Muyoung, far from blocking the charging Black Wolf Sect members as Yeon desired, looked at Yeon as if asking what nonsense he was spouting.
Contempt and annoyance flickered across Muyoung’s displeased face.
If one could swear with their eyes, that would be the expression.
Only then did Yeon sense the gap between his expectations and reality, and he blinked.

‘Ah, right.’

Muyoung.
He was a bodyguard, but he had never once received an order from the person he was guarding.
There was no need for orders, and the timid Moyong Yeon had never even tried to make eye contact with Muyoung.
But not anymore.

“What are you looking at! Protect me! That’s your job!”

Yeon glared at Muyoung and reprimanded him.

“Hah.”

Many emotions were conveyed in Muyoung’s short sigh.

“Die!”

At that moment, a Black Wolf Sect member ambushed Muyoung from behind.
And it wasn’t just one person.

“You scoundrels have nowhere to run!”

They cornered Muyoung from three sides, excluding where Yeon stood.
Muyoung squinted his eyes.
His gaze was sharp like a beast.
But at the same time, it conveyed the composure of a predator.

Swish.

He seemed to reach for his sword, then.

Whirl!

“Aargh!”

In the blink of an eye, five Black Wolf Sect members nearby were simultaneously sent flying.

Thud!

They all lost consciousness from the impact.

Gulp.

The guys in the rear exchanged glances with bewildered faces.
It was clean skill.
Moreover, he hadn’t even drawn his sword from its sheath.

“W-What?”

“He’s strong, isn’t he?”

Pil-Gu, seeing that, burst into a fit of rage.

“What are you doing against just one person? Do you all want to die?!”

The Black Wolf Sect members, flinching at Pil-Gu’s shouts, began to charge at Muyoung again.

“Aish, d*mn it!! We’re all going at once!!”

Wooaaah!

Meanwhile, Yeon watched Muyoung, who was taking a stance again, lost in thought.

‘He fights well, as expected.’

However, his expression wasn’t good.

‘But there’s something a little lacking.’

Muyoung’s response was certainly excellent, enough to evoke admiration.
But Yeon felt a tingling sensation in a corner of his chest.

‘He’s too raw.’

He saw flaws.
Raw.
That meant Muyoung’s movements lacked efficiency.
There were many unnecessary movements when he swung his sword.
He would exert force when he should relax, and relax when he should exert force.

‘Is it a problem that arose because he trained his swordsmanship alone?’

Of course, if there was someone to help him, it was a level that could be fixed quickly.
Yeon’s lips curved into a smile.

‘This is something you can’t even pay to hear about…’

Muyoung had really hit the jackpot.
Yeon opened his mouth.

“You’re not supposed to swing it like that.”

Muyoung, who had been effortlessly fending off enemies, momentarily paused upon hearing those words.

“Your leg stance, you know. If it’s too wide, you actually lose power. Just narrow it a little.”

Thwack.

“Hmm. You should hit the head there.”

Thwack!

“No, the head, not the leg!”

Thwack!!

“What, seriously?! You should have hit the leg just now!”

Thwack!!!

“No, you can’t even do this properly? Wow, really, I could fight better than this.”

Muyoung, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly turned around.
Yeon was offering unsolicited advice from a cowardly stance, looking as if he would run away at the first sign of danger.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

“…”

Muyoung scanned Yeon from his feet to his head.
He had a very annoyed expression, as if he wanted to say something, but soon remained silent.

“Where did the person who was fighting here go?”

“…”

But Yeon’s mouth showed no sign of stopping.
Ultimately, the victim of his chattering mouth was a Black Wolf Sect member who had just charged at Muyoung.
Muyoung’s anger was unleashed directly upon them.

Thump, thump, thump!

“S-Stop!”

“Ugh!”

“Please, shut up…!!”

After such an excellent joint attack (?), only one person remained.
It was Pil-Gu, whose legs trembled like aspen leaves and whose face was ashen.

‘What is going on?’

Pil-Gu couldn’t comprehend the current situation.
From the outset, his purpose in chasing Moyong Yeon was simple.
To intimidate the Moyong Clan Head, recover their money, and collect the debt they owed.
But due to his own inability to tolerate Moyong Yeon’s glib tongue, the situation had gone awry.

‘It’s strange to endure it, too.’

Pil-Gu glanced at the fallen Black Wolf Sect members.

‘How can I beat that?’

He had even brought along fellows who were supposedly strong, but they were falling like autumn leaves in Muyoung’s hands.

‘What am I supposed to tell the Boss?’

Black Wolf.
A chill ran down Pil-Gu’s spine at the thought of Boss Black Wolf.
A fearsome appearance far from mercy.
Even a rough voice filled with a menacing aura.
Pil-Gu still felt like he would wet himself recalling his first encounter with Black Wolf.
His despair was short-lived.
Immediate fear came to the forefront.

“One left?”

A cheerful voice roused his distant consciousness.
It was Moyong Yeon, who had only been giving advice.
At Yeon’s words, Muyoung’s gaze also turned to Pil-Gu.
Pil-Gu’s frightened lips turned blue.

“J-Just a moment! There seems to have been some misunderstanding. How about we have some tea and have a heart-to-heart?”

Pil-Gu shouted urgently.
His forced smile looked servile.
Receiving the money back was important, but staying alive now was the priority.

“Ahaha, a misunderstanding?”

Stomp. Stomp.

Yeon, who had been doing nothing until now, stepped forward.
He felt it was safer now.
He felt Muyoung’s exasperated gaze, but Yeon casually ignored it.
Pil-Gu swallowed a groan at Yeon’s appearance.
The monstrous Muyoung was frightening, but he felt like he could reason with him.
But the changed Moyong Yeon?
He seemed like a guy with a screw loose.
Communication was impossible.

‘But I have to get through this crisis somehow.’

Pil-Gu opened his mouth.

“Yes, a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding… Yes. It seems there was a misunderstanding.”

“Right? Minor misunderstandings happen often, don’t they? So, let’s talk…”

Crack.

Yeon cracked his neck, and Pil-Gu’s eyes wavered.
A strong sense of unease emanated from him.

“Though the mouth lies, the body cannot.”

Yeon snatched the sheathed sword from Muyoung’s grasp.

Whoosh.

Even though it wasn’t drawn from the sheath, a chilling aura made Pil-Gu’s neck cold.
He thought of escaping.
But Pil-Gu couldn’t, the moment his eyes met Muyoung’s, who was standing behind Yeon.
Muyoung’s chilling gaze was as menacing as a beast waiting in the darkness.
His tightly shut mouth offered no words of warning to Pil-Gu, but his cold stare conveyed a precise meaning.

‘Don’t run.’

Flinch.

Pil-Gu’s feet froze.
In the meantime, Yeon, who had approached right in front of Pil-Gu, opened his mouth.

“Isn’t it customary for the Clan Head to conclude a transaction?”

“What on earth are you planning to do…?”

“Heheh.”

Yeon let out a refreshing laugh and stared into Pil-Gu’s eyes.
At another time, his refined appearance might have been considered beautiful, but now it only amplified his unease.
Because he had discovered the mad dog hidden behind that passable appearance.
Yeon lifted the sword with both hands, then frowned slightly as it seemed quite heavy.

“What can a weakling like you…”

Pil-Gu’s eyes widened, and he screamed in a sharp voice.
No matter that he was cornered like a rat, he was angry at the absurd situation.

Thwack!

“Ugh.”

Pil-Gu’s head snapped back from being hit on the head with the scabbard.
Pil-Gu’s eyes widened to the size of lanterns from the surprise attack.
It was more bewildering than painful.
Pil-Gu, regaining his senses, shouted once more.

“How dare this fiend!”

Clang!!

This time, his head snapped in the opposite direction.

“You won’t stop…”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Every time he opened his mouth, a beating came.
Pil-Gu’s cheeks swelled up in an instant.
Pil-Gu had a dumbfounded expression.
Nevertheless, his mouth remained open.

“W-What are you doing!”

Yeon smiled coolly.

“Shall we see how long you can keep your mouth open?”

Creak.

Muyoung pushed open the main gate.
Yeon, with a tired face, entered with a haggard expression.

‘I’m tired.’

Mentally and physically.

‘How did he live with a body like this?’

He had only spent half a day outside, but every joint in his body was screaming.

‘Still, there were results.’

Money.
The Moyong Clan’s biggest problem, money, had been somewhat resolved.
There were still many areas to improve, but he had somehow managed to solve the major immediate problem.

‘This alone is something.’

Of course, this incident completely soured relations with the Black Wolf Sect.
Because he had thrashed Pil-Gu, the Vice Leader, with a stick.

– You fiend! If the Black Wolf learns of this, are you not afraid of the consequences…

Thwack!! Thump!!

– Sob, sorry… Sorry!! Just let me live!!

He eventually succumbed to violence and begged for forgiveness, but Yeon knew well.

‘Such as a change of heart when going to the outhouse and coming out.’

He meant that people’s intentions change.

‘By now, he’s probably grinding his teeth, vowing revenge on me.’

Even if Pil-Gu had repented, the Black Wolf Sect would not stand idly by.

‘Let’s think about this tomorrow.’

There were still numerous problems facing the Moyong Clan and Moyong Yeon.
Now, stabilizing his exhausted mind and body was the top priority.
He really felt like he was going to faint.

“I’m going to bed.”

Yeon spoke to Muyoung, who was standing with the luggage.
Their eyes met, as Muyoung seemed to have been watching him.
He must have many questions, but he had kept his mouth shut until now.

‘Well, considering my physical condition, it wouldn’t be right to interrogate me, either.’

It seemed Muyoung let him go quietly because his physical condition looked bad at a glance.

“Phew.”

The moment Yeon laboriously tried to move towards the temporarily prepared quarters.

Bang, crash!

“Clan Head?!”

The steward appeared with a loud commotion.

“C-Clan Head…!!”

Il-Woo, with a face about to cry, was also with him.

“Oh?”

Yeon thought they would be asleep since it was late at night, but it seemed not.

“Why are you only coming now?!”

Judging by their bloodshot eyes and pale faces, they seemed to have worried a lot waiting for him.

‘He must be angry that I came late.’

Yeon greeted them languidly.

“Oh, hello.”

“Hello?? Hello, you say?? Do I look alright now?! What on earth were you doing outside, and why are you coming at this hour!!”

“Steward! Please don’t be so harsh on the Clan Head…!”

“Il-Woo, you shut up!”

Although the reaction was somewhat violent, the steward’s anger was justified.
It had already been well over two shijin since Yeon had left, claiming he would repay the debt.
At first, when half a shijin passed, he thought it might be understandable.

‘Still, the Clan Head himself made the trip…’

But the moment one shijin passed, he realized something had gone seriously wrong.

‘There’s no reason for the Clan Head to stay in the tavern this long…’

When two shijin passed, he wondered if something had happened to Moyong Yeon.
Or if he should go to the tavern himself now, pacing anxiously.

‘Muyoung isn’t even showing his face in this important situation!’

He had been on edge, unable to find Muyoung to the very end.

‘When did he get attached to the Clan Head again?’

He felt a strong sense of betrayal.
The steward’s eyes widened, and he glared at Yeon accusingly.

“Why are you silent??”

His attitude was, ‘Say something, anything.’
The steward seemed quite angry, but Yeon merely looked at him calmly.
Then, he wore a bright smile on his eyes and lips.
At the unexpected reaction, the steward’s eyes widened.

“Huh, why are you smiling now?”

“Muyoung, bring that here.”

Yeon didn’t answer his question and changed the subject.
Muyoung took out something heavy and placed it in front of the steward.

Thump!

The steward frowned.
It was late at night, so it took him some time to distinguish what the object in front of him was.
But what did it matter what it was?
It wasn’t going to be gold or jewels.
The steward thought that no matter what Yeon said, he wouldn’t be able to make him understand the current situation.
At that moment.
Just then, the clouds that had been obscuring the moonlight cleared, and the object, illuminated by bright light, revealed itself.

Sparkle. Sparkle.

“Eh?”

The steward rubbed his eyes, momentarily doubting his eyesight.

‘What on earth is that?’

A sack full of silver nyang, gleaming beautifully in the moonlight.
Moreover, he vaguely saw bank notes from an unknown source.
Anger or betrayal.
All the emotions that had engulfed him vanished in an instant, leaving only bewilderment.