Chapter 9: Muyoung’s Appearance

As Yeon threw a tantrum, lying flat on the ground, the Black Wolf Sect members began to stir in confusion.

“What’s he doing?”

“Why is he like that? Is he surrendering?”

“It’s strange for a surrender. Isn’t he resisting?”

“Is he sick?”

They had drawn their swords, but their path was lost due to Yeon’s shocking behavior.
The same went for Pil-Gu.

“What trick are you playing, Moyong Yeon? Get up at once! Have you no dignity?”

Yeon snorted inwardly at his words.

‘Huh? Since when did you care about my dignity?’

And he demonstratively rolled around on the bridge with even more vigor.

“Moyong Yeon is dying here!! The only Clan Head of the Moyong Clan!! Help me!!”

“…”

Pil-Gu frowned.
He was momentarily flustered, but his mind quickly cooled.
A fellow who talked back brazenly is rolling on the ground without any visible injury?
A conclusion was quickly reached.

‘This is a deception aimed at me!’

Rage surged. He had no intention of leaving him alone.

“You scoundrel! Do you think anyone will help you by doing that?”

Whoosh!

Pil-Gu instantly snatched Yeon and lifted him up.
Yeon, whose collar was grabbed, struggled.

“Aargh! Muyoung!”

And the name Yeon shouted.
Pil-Gu’s eyes widened.
He now understood why Yeon had suddenly acted like a patient with a tantrum.

“…’Muyoung’?”

The Black Wolf Sect members also murmured.

“Muyoung? The Moyong Clan’s bodyguard?”

The only warrior remaining in the Moyong Clan.
That was all the Black Wolf Sect knew about Muyoung.
Even the rumors about his martial prowess were so numerous that he was certainly a person they were reluctant to face.

“Huh! Did you violate our condition?”

Their condition.
‘The Clan Head comes to Tiger Moon Tower alone.’
Pil-Gu rebuked Yeon, asking if he had forgotten that.
As Pil-Gu vented his anger, Yeon blinked.
He was so cunning that his feigned bewildered face looked almost idiotic.

“No? But I thought he might have followed.”

What kind of sophistry was this?
Pil-Gu realized Yeon was an unreasonable opponent.

“Ugh! Oh my! Choke! Gasp!! My neck!! I can’t breathe!”

Pil-Gu ignored Yeon’s exaggerated act and looked around to find Muyoung.

“…?”

But there was no one else around them.
Only the fish in the ignorant lake were gasping for air at the surface.
There was no space whatsoever where ‘Muyoung’ could hide.

“Oh my, oh my!”

Instead, Yeon’s sorrowful wailing only grew louder with time.

‘Surely this fellow…’

Rage surged in Pil-Gu’s mind at the thought that he had been tricked by that kid again.

“You despicable fellow!”

Thump!

Pil-Gu threw Yeon to the ground.

“How dare you lie to me!”

Yeon groaned, his face twisted in a frown.
This time it wasn’t feigned illness, so Yeon, quickly concealing the strong killing intent that momentarily welled up, replied.

“…Do you really think it’s a lie?”

Yeon’s eyes were earnest.
He was certain Muyoung was here.
There were three main reasons for this.
First.

‘In Moyong Yeon’s memories, Muyoung only appeared when I was in danger.’

Second.

‘He disappeared the moment it was confirmed I was going to Tiger Moon Tower.’

Considering Muyoung’s personality, Yeon believed it was so he could follow him even like that.
Lastly, third.

‘The gaze that has been following me since the tavern, who else could it be but him?’

However, the situation was unfolding differently from what he expected.

‘…But why isn’t he coming out yet?’

Could it be that he didn’t follow to protect him, but to watch him get tormented?
If so, he was a complete bastard.
But that couldn’t be.
This judgment wasn’t solely based on ‘Moyong Yeon’s’ memories.

‘Muyoung, I’ve met him too.’

Clang!

“Are you ready to pay the price?!”

Pil-Gu roared and drew his sword.
The erupting anger and ferocious killing intent clearly showed he truly intended to harm Yeon.

‘My neck might be cut off if things go wrong.’

The quick-witted Yeon knew this well.

Whoosh—!

Nevertheless, Yeon did not back down.

‘Muyoung…’

His eyes, filled with stubbornness and certainty, stared at Pil-Gu.

‘Will you let Moyong Yeon die?’

Yeon recalled the moment he first met Muyoung.

Past.

It was when the Moyong Clan had truly begun to decline.

“The Moyong Clan has reportedly acquired a fragment of the Musang Divine Arts.”

Yeon, who was with Namgung Cheon at the time, was surprised to hear the urgent message that had arrived.

‘The Musang Divine Arts?’

At the time, he wasn’t particularly interested, but its prestige remained unchanged from now.
Whoever possessed the Musang Divine Arts would become a public enemy of the martial world.
No one in the martial world was ignorant of the meaning of those words.
In other words, that message meant that the Moyong Clan, having broken the Central Plains treaty, might become a public enemy of the martial world.

‘What’s going on?’

Yeon observed Namgung Cheon’s demeanor.
Namgung Cheon, who was also the leader of the Martial Alliance, questioned his subordinate with a grim face.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes, Branch Clan Head Namgung Gi says he has clear evidence and witnesses.”

“The Branch Clan Head brought it…?”

Namgung Cheon worried.
He couldn’t just ignore the words of Namgung Gi, the Branch Clan Head.

“…It must not fall into anyone’s hands.”

Namgung Cheon looked at Yeon.

“Leader of the Emperor Sword Unit. See to it that the fragment of the Musang Divine Arts is retrieved from the Moyong Clan.”
When Yeon, having received the order, arrived at the Moyong Clan, it was already chaos.
To find the hidden secret room, soldiers had burned several halls and smashed household items, creating a complete mess.

“You can’t go in there!”

“Why are you doing this to us?!”

Thud!

“Aaargh!”

Clang!

“Tsk, what a mess.”

Yeon, exasperated, moved to a less crowded area.
He didn’t spend more than an hour diligently searching.

“Hey, you, search every nook and cranny over there.”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t do it properly, you’ll die.”

Even so, he didn’t forget to nag the members walking around.

‘What is this place?’

Yeon, casually surveying his surroundings, discovered a hall.

‘What? Why are these guys collapsed?’

At that moment.

“You cannot enter there.”

Some tall fellow blocked his path.
Yeon’s eyes widened, and he looked at the opponent.
A young man, who had just passed his coming-of-age ceremony, radiated a sharp aura and pointed a gleaming sword at him, as if baring his teeth.
Fierce eyes sent a warning with an intense gaze not to approach a single step further.
The splattered bloodstains on his disheveled clothes showed how many had paid the price for ignoring that warning.
The young man, who already had the impression of a hard-to-tame wolf, seemed even more agitated in the tense situation.
Yeon was only four or five years older than the young man, but.

‘Is it the youthful vigor that only a young person can display?’

…he thought, and nonchalantly looked around.
Looking to the side, there were several collapsed individuals, some of whom were even familiar faces.

‘What is this guy?’

He had defeated individuals skilled enough for Yeon to remember.

‘And he didn’t even kill them, just subdued them?’

That meant the man who blocked his way was exceptionally skilled.
Curiosity began to bloom.

“Don’t you know me?”

Yeon wore the blue martial robe symbolizing the Namgung Clan.
On one arm, there was even an embroidery of an eagle, signifying the Leader of the Emperor Sword Unit.
He was clearly announcing his identity, so it was strange that he didn’t know.
Whether for good or bad, Yeon’s renown was widespread in the martial world.

“It doesn’t matter who you are.”

The man replied.
The man’s fingertips were trembling as he spoke.

‘Oh, ho.’

He had blocked him, but he seemed to know there was no chance of winning.
Nevertheless, he stood in the way and pointed his sword.

‘For what reason?’

Yeon subtly tried to check the place the man was trying to protect, but the man adamantly blocked Yeon’s line of sight.
However, he couldn’t hide the shadow of a person flickering behind the rice paper screen.

“Did he hide a honey pot or something?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Yeon pretended not to know but guessed that the man was likely protecting an important figure of the Moyong Clan.

‘Probably the Clan Head?’

The others had been subdued long ago.
Some had even abandoned their duties and fled in fear.
But this man didn’t even seem to be a blood relative of the Moyong Clan.

‘Remarkable loyalty.’

In truth, he had planned to just quickly search and move on.
Yeon was confident that the Moyong Clan did not possess the Musang Divine Arts.
But the situation changed.

“What to do? I want to go in.”

This man had piqued his curiosity.
How long could he maintain that loyalty?
In a way, it was a bad habit.

– Do you still not know why you have no friends?

Suddenly, Namgung Jehyun’s nagging echoed in his mind.

‘Ugh, something scarier than a ghost!’

Yeon shook his head to shake off the auditory hallucination.

“I have to pass, and you have to block me, right? If so…”

“…Come.”

It was Yeon who moved first.
He drew his sword with lightning speed and immediately charged at Muyoung.
A speed that others would not be able to follow.

Clang!

But the man blocked it.
Not only that.

Clink!

The man twisted his sword, attempting to deflect Yeon’s sword energy and use it against him.

‘Oh, he’s quite good?’

Yeon sincerely admired the man’s agility and judgment, looking at his torn sleeve.
With this level of skill, he could make quite a name for himself in the martial world.
But he had picked the wrong opponent.

“Shall we see if you can withstand this too?”

Yeon lightly gripped the sword hilt.
His swing was utterly playful, like a child splashing in water.
But the surging sword wind contained enough power to make it difficult to even stand.
Yeon attacked the man again.

Crash!

Sparks flew as their swords collided.

“Keuk!”

The man’s face twisted in an agonizing frown.
Unable to withstand the force, the man’s palm tore, gushing blood.

“You’re still enduring this?”

Yeon grinned.
It was impressive that he hadn’t fainted.
The man’s feet, bracing against the ground, were trembling.

“But you won’t be able to handle this, will you?”

Yeon imbued his colliding sword with sword energy, pushing it forward as if detonating it.

Thud!

The man could no longer hold on and was sent flying.
The wall he hit crumbled.

“Cough.”

His internal organs must have been severely affected by the impact, so the pain must have been considerable.
But the man stabbed his sword into the ground and laboriously stood up again.
The heat in his sharp eyes was deeper than before.

“Can you continue in that state?”

The man charged at Yeon again, and Yeon gladly accepted.
But the outcome was obvious.
He couldn’t guarantee victory even in perfect condition, so there was no way the exhausted man could defeat Yeon.
Yeon lightly dodged the man’s attack and, seizing an opening, struck down.

Thwack.

“Just give up already!”

But even though he had fallen, the man rose again and again, charging at Yeon.

Crash!

“…”

His admiration was limited to once or twice.
The endless repetition naturally furrowed Yeon’s brow.

‘Is he crazy?’

He was maddeningly persistent.
He had simply intended to defeat the fellow, scoff at his petty loyalty, and leave…

“Aargh, I give up, I give up!! I’m not going in. I’m not going in!”

Yeon’s declaration of surrender.

“Hah…”

Thud.

The man, hearing those words, finally seemed relieved and collapsed to the ground.
But his sharp gaze was filled with tension, as if he would jump back into action at any moment if Yeon broke his promise.

“Ugh, I’m so sick of this.”

Yeon demonstratively sheathed his sword.
Yeon, glancing at the man, opened his mouth.

“Are you perhaps not interested in the Namgung Clan? I can promote you quickly!”

The man refused Yeon’s offer.

“…I appreciate the offer, but.”

“Why?”

“I have someone to protect in the Moyong Clan. …As long as that is the case, I will not leave this place.”

Normally, he would not have even deigned to reply.
But he realized Yeon had gone easy on him.
As a swordsman, it was humiliating, but as a bodyguard, it was akin to receiving a favor.
At his words, showing the same resolve as before, Yeon sighed regretfully and replied.

“Tsk, the Moyong Clan will take a hit from this, but if there’s no real sin, they might be able to recover.”

“I hope so too.”

“May I ask your name? I am Namgung Yeon.”

“Muyoung.”

“Muyoung. I’ll remember that.”

Yeon then took his subordinates and left the Moyong Clan.
Later, the Moyong Clan’s false accusation of possessing a fragment of the Musang Divine Arts was cleared, but the name ‘Muyoung’ was imprinted in Namgung Yeon’s memory because of that incident.

Yeon’s eyes sparkled as he recalled the past incident.
Yeon was certain.
Muyoung being here meant that the one he had to protect was definitely ‘Moyong Yeon’.

Whoosh—!

Clang!

A flash of light appeared before his eyes.
It was the light produced when swords collided.

“…Hah.”

Someone’s sigh, filled with disillusionment, was heard.

“Keuk! You scoundrel!!”

Pil-Gu frowned and retreated.
His arm ached as if it had been torn off from the impact of the sword being knocked away.
Yeon, on the other hand, grinned.

‘Finally.’

Muyoung had appeared.