novelraw Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Chapter 36
“Seo Mugyeom. Are you planning to go to Geumwon Trade Hall alone?”
When Un Jongak asked, Seo Mugyeom answered smoothly without a trace of caution.
“Yes, I just need to exchange the trade slip for money, so there’s no need for many people to go. It’s not even a large sum, just three thousand taels of silver. That’s nothing. Since Geumwon Trade Hall is located on a busy street, it’s unlikely anything will happen along the way.”
“Still, you never know. The Ak Clan has been repeatedly attacked by unknown assailants. I’ll go with you.”
“You mean it, Vice Leader Un? I’d be happy, of course, but I wonder if I’d be troubling you unnecessarily….”
Seo Mugyeom looked at Un Jongak with a face full of genuine apology.
“No need. Why would this be solely your concern? You may not belong to the Tenth Division, but you’re still part of the Guardian Ten Division. It’s my duty to ensure that even regular warriors of our division aren’t harmed.”
With that, he rode off ahead.
Seo Mugyeom soon followed.
If Un Jongak had eyes on the back of his head, he would have seen Seo Mugyeom smiling.
Not long after the two rode off, Pyo Inhaeng broke away from the group and silently followed behind them. Instead of riding a horse, he used movement arts, intending to stay out of Un Jongak’s sight.
He had already heard the plan from Seo Mugyeom.
Seo Mugyeom warned that it would be dangerous to stay too long with Un Jongak.
The most important thing was to confirm whether Un Jongak was truly someone who deserved death, but Seo Mugyeom was confident it wouldn’t be difficult. As long as an opportunity was provided, Un Jongak would prove it himself.
Seo Mugyeom was the one who crafted the detailed plan.
When Seo Mugyeom said he would lure Un Jongak with the trade slip at Geumwon Trade Hall, Pyo Inhaeng could only click his tongue.
How could anyone think this guy was only nineteen?
At times, it felt like Seo Mugyeom had more experience and maturity than he did.
Seo Mugyeom insisted that it was best to act immediately after leaving the Ak Clan. Even if there were enemies targeting Ak Seol-ah, they wouldn’t attack right after she left the clan.
While eliminating Un Jongak was important, protecting Ak Seol-ah was an even higher priority, and Seo Mugyeom didn’t neglect that part either.
That was why Pyo Inhaeng had approved the plan and was now secretly following them.
Un Jongak, unaware of anything, rode with Seo Mugyeom, while behind them, Ak Seol-ah and the others rushed off toward the Imperial City.
As they rode in opposite directions, they eventually reached a point where they could no longer see each other.
Pyo Inhaeng noticed that Un Jongak’s horse, which had initially ridden alongside Seo Mugyeom’s, was gradually falling behind. It was obvious he was preparing to attack.
Though he believed Seo Mugyeom was aware, watching from behind made him uneasy. What if Seo Mugyeom failed to avoid the attack?
Pyo Inhaeng thought it might have been better if he had handled it himself, so he accelerated his pace.
The scenery swept past beneath his feet. Then suddenly, the two horses veered sharply to the right and disappeared from view. He would catch up soon enough, but Pyo Inhaeng still felt anxious.
Seo Mugyeom noticed that Un Jongak was intentionally falling behind and suspected his scheme. From long before, Seo Mugyeom had already heightened his energy sense to the extreme.
Thanks to his deep inner energy, he could sense Un Jongak’s every move behind him as if he were watching with his own eyes. He even heard the sound of him drawing the sword at his waist.
Just as Un Jongak was about to swing the sword at his back, Seo Mugyeom suddenly turned his horse sharply to the right. It was only possible because he had been listening through his energy sense and precisely calculated the distance as he rode.
Un Jongak thought Seo Mugyeom was bluffing and continued riding. As long as he went all out, there was no way someone like Seo Mugyeom could escape.
He had heard countless rumors about Seo Mugyeom and had formed his own judgment after observing him closely. He also understood the difference in strength from their direct confrontation over the Ak Seol-ah incident.
But Un Jongak had a card up his sleeve. He often accused others of using hidden weapons or poison to win dishonorably, but in truth, that was his specialty.
Even now, he held a hidden weapon coated with Paehyeolsan, a deadly poison that caused the blood to rot with even a scratch, resulting in an agonizing death.
No matter how wildly Seo Mugyeom acted or how profound his inner energy and skills were, he wouldn’t survive an assault of poison and hidden weapons.
With that thought, Un Jongak was already feeling victorious.
As soon as Seo Mugyeom’s horse turned right, he followed.
The moment Seo Mugyeom came into view, Un Jongak hurled a dagger. Seo Mugyeom, riding with his back exposed, seemed an easy target. The distance was short.
Un Jongak felt glee at the thought of finally killing that irritating bastard.
With a sharp whistle, the dagger cut through the air. But just before it struck Seo Mugyeom, his body leapt high off the horse.
It was something no one could imagine unless they had known the dagger was coming from behind. Un Jongak was stunned. How could he have known? And even knowing, how could he leap that high?
He was flustered.
But once the attack had started, there was no turning back. Seo Mugyeom had surely sensed his killing intent and wouldn’t just ignore it.
Hadn’t they already clashed over Ak Seol-ah?
Luckily, Un Jongak had more than one dagger.
He unleashed another wave of hidden weapons, some so fine they were nearly invisible.
It wasn’t a skill learned in just a year or two. Very few people even knew he had trained in such secret techniques—perhaps only Ju Jirang had vaguely suspected.
Seo Mugyeom sensed multiple hidden weapons being launched in staggered timing from Un Jongak. Once he realized it, avoiding them was wiser than blocking them head-on.
But even realizing that, the time available was extremely short since the weapons had already left Un Jongak’s hands.
Still, Seo Mugyeom, having made up his mind, found it manageable.
As he leapt, he swung his sword backward.
Even if he escaped, he thought the horse he’d ridden might be struck.
He didn’t forget to slap the horse hard on the rump just before leaping, causing it to gallop frantically forward.
Un Jongak could hardly believe how many things Seo Mugyeom managed to pull off in such a brief moment. Even if he had resolved to do them, pulling them off flawlessly was another matter.
The weapons were fast and close—but they only struck air and lost momentum, dropping to the ground.
Un Jongak was dumbfounded for a moment, then prepared his next move.
As the situation worsened, he felt his blood boil and a rush of excitement. It wasn’t just a negative emotion. He was even thrilled to meet such a worthy opponent.
Until now, he had never revealed his full strength to anyone. He had always used poison and hidden weapons to avoid it.
But this time, he realized that wouldn’t be enough. It wasn’t just about losing—he might not survive at all.
Fighting for his life ignited a wild joy in him and a bizarre smile twisted his face.
Un Jongak looked up at Seo Mugyeom.
Seo Mugyeom had climbed a nearby tree and looked down at Un Jongak, then threw a stone at Un Jongak’s horse.
The stone grazed the horse’s head.
Though it wasn’t struck, the horse sensed it had narrowly escaped danger. Horses were naturally skittish, and Un Jongak’s was no exception.
It reared up, trembling in fear, and from that moment refused to move forward, spinning in circles instead.
As the horse went berserk, Un Jongak had no choice but to dismount. If he had done so by choice, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but it felt like Seo Mugyeom was controlling the situation, which annoyed him.
But he slowly realized that even feeling annoyed was a luxury.
Seo Mugyeom drew his sword and leapt.
What Un Jongak saw was Seo Mugyeom throwing himself down from the tree—but he couldn’t tell when Seo Mugyeom had gotten so close, or why a chilling pain was stabbing through his arm.
Even more baffling was the different kind of pain in his other arm. It felt like someone had grabbed him with monstrous strength.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, but it wasn’t. Someone had actually grabbed his arm and flung him aside.
He turned to see who it was, but the figure wore a mask, a wide-brimmed hat, and a featureless martial uniform.
Three more people stood nearby. He couldn’t guess their level of inner energy, but they were all clearly masters far beyond his imagination.
Un Jongak didn’t know who these people were, but he realized one thing: they had just saved him from Seo Mugyeom.
They placed Un Jongak behind them and charged at Seo Mugyeom, and in the chaos, Pyo Inhaeng arrived, triggering a full-blown melee.
Seo Mugyeom didn’t know where these people had come from or who they were. They seemed like the ones who had been attacking the Ak Clan’s businesses, but he couldn’t be sure.
He had no idea if they were orthodox, unorthodox, from the Green Forest Bandits, the authorities, or even the Imperial Court.
One thing was certain—he might really die here today.