Swish!

Hyeonjeong, in the meantime, silently turned two white stones on the Go board left and right. The stones in the upper left corner did not have a great impact on the game.

"No."

"It seems there's a wind."

At Hyeonjeong's words, Heo Man-gi turned his head, looked at the Go board, and frowned. It was because he felt something had changed.

In fact, a wind was blowing inside the pavilion.

Heo Man-gi brushed his hair back and then, saying "Huh?", turned his head to the left.

Hyeonjeong, who was sitting in front, also reflexively turned his head. It was then that Heo Man-gi's hand changed the positions of the black and white stones on the Go board.

He even spoke to eliminate the sound of the stones rolling.

"Sometimes I recall the time I went up to Mount Wudang. I went up at fifteen and came down at twenty-five. Exactly ten years."

"Was there anything?"

"There wasn't."

Hyeonjeong, who had turned his head at Heo Man-gi's answer, tilted his head and looked at the Go board.

Nothing seemed to have changed. He just instinctively sensed that something had changed.

'Could this guy be?'

Hyeonjeong stroked his beard and observed Heo Man-gi's complexion. Heo Man-gi avoided Hyeonjeong's eyes, stroked his beard, and then stood up.

"I'll be back after a quick trip to the outhouse. I remember everything, so don't move the stones."

"Are you boasting because you've won for the past few days? Do you think I would move the stones? I promise on the name of Wudang. I'll stay still."

Seeing Hyeonjeong, who mentioned the Wudang Sect, Heo Man-gi, as if relieved, left the pavilion and headed for the outhouse.

"Let's see, how can I win..."

Whoosh!

A silver light that cut through the empty air pierced Hyeonjeong's eyes.

"Who is it!"

Hyeonjeong shouted and at the same time drew his sword and parried the hidden weapon.

Clang!

After a sharp metallic sound echoed, a masked man appeared in Hyeonjeong's eyes.

Swish!

The moment he was seen, the masked man flew in a straight line and pushed his sword forward.

It was a move aimed at the neck, and its speed was like lightning.

In the blink of an eye, the masked man's sword was about to touch Hyeonjeong's neck.

"Hmph! An assassin!"

Thump! Thump!

Hyeonjeong, who had thrown his body back, shattered the railing of the pavilion. Even in the midst of that, the masked man's sword chased Hyeonjeong.

Hyeonjeong twisted his body and drew a circle with his sword. In that instant, the masked man's feet struck Hyeonjeong's abdomen twice.

Thwack!

"Keuk!"

Thud!

A sword was thrust into the right shoulder of Hyeonjeong, who had fallen to the ground.

"Kraaak!"

Hyeonjeong was disoriented. He couldn't help but be flustered that he had been helplessly defeated by the continuous attacks.

He was dumbfounded and scared. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

The masked man looked at Hyeonjeong for a moment and then pulled out his sword.

"It's not him."

Whoosh!

The masked man, who had thrown a cool voice, turned his body without any lingering attachment and disappeared into the forest.

Hyeonjeong stared blankly at the masked man's back and then slowly stood up.

"Ugh! What?"

Hyeonjeong, who had stood up holding his right shoulder, trembled all over with a face full of anger, as if he had regained some of his senses.

"You bastard!"

Thump! Thump!

Hyeonjeong, who had jumped into the forest, exploded dozens of sword energies and cut down the trees.

Thwack! Rumble! Thump!

As the trees fell and a strong wind rose, the Sunggeom Gate became noisy.

Thump!

As the wall burst and Hyeonjeong appeared with a blood-soaked appearance, he looked around.

"Where did you go! Come out!"

Although he shouted in all directions, the assassin was not likely to come out again.

"Master!"

"Uncle!"

Only then did the disciples of the Wudang Sect hear the noisy sound and run over.

"It's an assassin! He must still be in the Sunggeom Gate! Find him quickly!"

As he shouted, the disciples of the Wudang Sect who were running over scattered in all directions. Just then, he saw Heo Man-gi running in a hurry.

"You useless bastard."

Hyeonjeong muttered and glared at Heo Man-gi with a cold expression.

* * *

Jin Sa-wol, who had appeared on the ridge not far from the Sunggeom Gate, took off his mask and put it in his bosom.

'Is the Esoteric Sect Leader really alive? Or is it just my own thought?'

Although there were people who had seen the Esoteric Sect Leader die, there was no one who had seen him alive.

It was just his own speculation and intuition.

The reason he had attacked Hyeonjeong was because he had heard that he had come to the main headquarters at the time of the Esoteric Sect's annihilation.

If he were the Esoteric Sect Leader, he thought he wouldn't have stayed still when his life was in danger.

He could see dark clouds rolling in from afar. It seemed it would rain at night.

'He's alive.'

He corrected his half-believing, half-doubting heart.

Whoosh!

Son Ae-hwa, who was looking around through the trees, appeared.

"The Sunggeom Gate is in an uproar right now."

"Let's go."

Jin Sa-wol did not say why he had gone to the Sunggeom Gate. Although Son Ae-hwa had a face that said she was dying of curiosity, she didn't even have time to ask. Jin Sa-wol was already flying.

Son Ae-hwa hurriedly chased after Jin Sa-wol.

* * *

In a small room, a half-naked man was standing.

"Hmm..."

Swallowing a groan, he looked at his own reflection in the bronze mirror. The bald head was gone, and he had shaggy hair.

Swish! Swish! When he touched his hair, the hair gave a new feeling. His eyebrows were thick and his lips were plump, making him look manly and handsome.

When he put strength into his neck, his neck muscles rose. He also put strength into his chest and forearms and looked at his muscles.

"Damn it! The size of my muscles has decreased."

Perhaps because he had been recuperating for nearly a month due to his injuries, the 'king' character of his abs felt a little faint. On top of that, the size of his chest had also decreased, and the tendons in his forearms also looked smaller.

"Haa..."

He felt that his beautiful body had been defiled.

At times like this, he had to train his body. He started doing sit-ups and push-ups to rebuild his lost abs.

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!"

"What are you doing in the morning? You crazy bastard."

Woo Jeong-bong, who had opened the door and entered, frowned when he saw a half-naked man panting and doing push-ups.

Yeon-il, upon seeing Woo Jeong-bong, frowned and waved his hand for him to leave.

"Can't you see? I'm building muscles. Physical training. The body must be hard for the martial arts to be hard, and the lower part must also be hard. Hmph! Hmph!"

Yeon-il, who was doing sit-ups while talking, stopped moving as if he had become a stone statue when he saw Jo Geom-ok standing beyond the doorway.

Jo Geom-ok, who saw the half-naked Yeon-il, shook her head and walked away.

Yeon-il's eyes turned to Woo Jeong-bong. It was a look that said to explain what had happened.

"To eat together. Breakfast."

"You bad guy."

Yeon-il hung his head low and slowly stood up, putting on his clothes.

The main dining hall was crowded with many people. Various people, from the guests staying at the inn to the workers, were coming and going.

In a separate room inside, Namgung Ji was sitting and waiting for her meal. After a short while, Jo Geom-ok came in and sat down.

"Sister."

As Namgung Ji greeted her, Jo Geom-ok nodded.

To Namgung Ji, Jo Geom-ok felt like an awkward older sister from next door. Although she had tried to get close, Jo Geom-ok was keeping her distance.

"Miss Namgung!"

Woo Jeong-bong, who had a big voice and a bright smile, came in. Woo Jeong-bong treated Namgung Ji warmly.

Namgung Ji didn't dislike it either.

"Brother."

As Namgung Ji patted the seat next to her, Woo Jeong-bong quickly sat down. Behind him, the well-built Yeon-il came in.

He greeted Namgung Ji and then sat next to Jo Geom-ok. With the four of them sitting, the room felt full.

As the food came out, Woo Jeong-bong, who was picking up his chopsticks, asked Namgung Ji.

"Where did Brother Jin go? I can't see him at all these days. Is he very busy?"

"If you mean the innkeeper, he went out a few days ago because he had something to do."

"What? Without even telling me?"

Woo Jeong-bong muttered with a disappointed face.

"Did he go to a good place, leaving me alone here?"

At Woo Jeong-bong's words, Namgung Ji smiled and said.

"Where is a better place than here for you, brother? I heard you go to the gisaeng house often."

"Sometimes when I'm thirsty for alcohol..."

Woo Jeong-bong, who had an awkward expression, received Yeon-il's sharp gaze. Yeon-il clicked his tongue and showed a dumbfounded expression.

"A disciple of a prestigious orthodox sect at a gisaeng house?"

"Shall we go together?"

When Woo Jeong-bong asked, Yeon-il closed his mouth for a moment.

He glanced at Jo Geom-ok and nodded slightly. Fortunately, Jo Geom-ok seemed to be drinking tea and thinking about something else.

'The Esoteric Sect Leader is alive.'

Just thinking about it was a terrible thing. The Esoteric Sect Leader that Jo Geom-ok remembered was like a hungry ghost in a human mask.

He had sacrificed children to practice his demonic arts, and he would kill his subordinates on the spot if he didn't like them.

'If a guy like that were alive, he would have already gained notoriety. He's not the type to live a reformed life.'

Jo Geom-ok shook her head and drank her tea with a sigh.

"Is something bothering you?"

At the voice from the side, Jo Geom-ok turned her head and her eyes widened when she saw Yeon-il's large face.

"You startled me."

As she momentarily raised her hand, Yeon-il instinctively covered his face with both his hands.

Jo Geom-ok came to her senses, lowered her hand, and asked.

"Has the Abbot changed at all?"

"Changed... What kind of thing?"

"His behavior or way of speaking? Personality? Things like that."

Yeon-il, as if he were happy that Jo Geom-ok had asked him a question, thought as hard as he could.

"If it's something like that, his personality seems to have changed a bit."

"How?"

"He was quiet before, but he's become even quieter recently. What should I say? Before, he felt like a person, but now he's just a living Buddha? I don't know what he's thinking at all. Even when he ordered me to go to the Esoteric Sect, I didn't understand it."

"Isn't it that you've fallen out of the Abbot's favor?"

When Namgung Ji asked, Yeon-il's eyes widened as if he were greatly surprised.

"No, why me? What did I do wrong?"

Yeon-il waved both his hands as if it were absurd.

Jo Geom-ok asked Namgung Ji.

"What about your father? Has he changed at all since he became the Alliance Leader?"

"No. He's the same as before."

Namgung Ji shook her head, trembled her shoulders, and then asked Jo Geom-ok.

"But why?"

"Just because."

Jo Geom-ok showed a faint smile and drank her tea.

* * *

A single candle was illuminating the room. The light shone on an old man with a bald head and a long beard, who was sitting in the center in a cross-legged position.

The bald head of the old man, who had his eyes closed, was shiny. As the candle flickered slightly, the old man slowly opened his eyes.

The old man's eyes were cloudy and had no emotion.

"If you've come, show yourself. Why are you hiding and peeking?"

As the old man's voice swirled in the room, a person suddenly appeared. It was Jin Sa-wol, wearing ordinary plain clothes.

The Yuseom Sword was slung over his shoulder, and his belt was a flexible sword. In his bosom were a dagger and a few hidden weapons.

Simbeop observed the unidentified young man who had appeared before him. Along with a demonic aura, a slight orthodox aura was also glimpsed.

"Who are you?"

"I am looking for the Esoteric Sect Leader."

Jin Sa-wol stated his purpose, not his name. At the words 'Esoteric Sect Leader', Simbeop frowned.

"Why are you looking for someone who died a long time ago?"

"He's not dead."

"That can't be... I saw his neck fall with my own two eyes."

Simbeop, who was recalling the dead Esoteric Sect Leader, extended his own right palm towards Jin Sa-wol's right palm, which was flying towards him with a 'whoosh!' sound.

Thump

(End of Chapter)