chapter 69
The Hao guild member traced those who had fled and found a path leading to their hideout.
He said he couldn’t go further inside. If he goes in further, he thought he will be caught, so he stopped pursuing, put surveillance around, and returned to report.
After hearing the report, Byeoktaesan made a decision right away.
“Now, then, let’s go get the rest of the elixir.”
When Byeoktaesan was about to move, Yeon Ha-rin approached him.
She said thanks first.
“Thank you so much for saving me. I always seem to only get help from you.”
‘Huh? always? Did this kind of thing happen before?’
First of all, it wasn’t anything he did. That means the real Byeoktaesan did something in the past.
Byeoktaesan spit out the words that came to mind.
“I’ll be heading back after finishing the work here. Why don’t you wait and we can go together?”
Yeon Ha-rin’s eyes were round.
“Really? Can I really do that?”
“Well… It isn’t something that can’t be done.”
Yeon Ha-rin laughed happily.
Seeing her like that, Byeoktaesan turned around and walked to the place where the Hao guild member was standing.
And he thought about what he just said.
He felt like he was saying something that wasn’t like himself, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like that.
‘What am I doing at this age.’
Byeoktaesan smiled and tried to move again. But then, he felt a strange gaze.
Turning his head to see the owner of the gaze, he saw the old man who had a serious conversation with Yeon Ha-rin earlier.
The old man was looking at Byeoktaesan with a strange look.
Byeoktaesan asked Yeon Ha-rin.
“Who is the old man you were talking to?”
“Ah, he is the elder of the Baek Li Household.”
Yeon Ha-rin explained in detail about Baek Li Jang Cheon. She even talked about him giving her a letter of recommendation.
After hearing her out, Byeoktaesan smiled.
“So who is going to use that recommendation letter?”
“Sorry? That’s uhh… … .”
Yeon Ha-rin shut her mouth.
When she thought about it, there was no one who could use it.
No matter how many recommendations she had, she couldn’t send just anyone.
Anyway, they will be seated at a position that Baek Li Jang Cheon promised it was an important seat, so it must be a person with enough competence.
Or maybe someone with a lot of experience.
If not, it had to be someone who can be accepted by them.
For example, the Yeon household leader.
However, there was no way for the leader to abandon the Yeon household and go to the Homuryeon.
In fact, there was no one who had a lot of experience and ability other than the leader.
It was a situation where the Yeon household was hoping that Yeon Ha-rin would develop into one of the best talents.
So, who should this be used for?
“There is no one who can use it after all.”
Yeon Ha-rin made a bitter smile.
“Why isn’t there anyone?”
“Because my father couldn’t use this.”
“What about you?”
“Pardon? Me? How dare I… … .”
Byeoktaesan smiled at the words. And after seeing Baek Li Jang Cheon once, he turned his gaze back to Yeon Ha-rin.
“That old man is aiming for you in the first place. It’s good for him to build a cause.”
“A cause?”
“The justification for entering the Baek Li Household.”
Yeon Ha-rin’s expression hardened. It was only then that the situation began to be pictured clearly in her head.
What will be the rumors be if Yeon Ha-rin takes over an important position in Homuryeon with the recommendation from Baek Li Jang Cheon?
Of course, there will be rumors that the Baek Li household was involved.
And in order to obtain the justification for her, Yeon Ha-rin must be a very important person to the Baek Li household.
For example, something like a promised marriage with the successor Baek Ri Moon-Ryang.
“But everyone knows that I am the lord’s beloved woman?”
“Why would the truth matter? It ends when you make that situation true.”
Even though Yeon Ha-rin was unsure, the words of Byeoktaesan circulated in her head.
“Well, it might not be that.”
Byeoktaesan, who said that made it seem like it had nothing to do with it and moved toward the Hao guild member.
“Why is he trying to steal something of mine? He’s cheeky.”
Anyway, everything around him was his. He had no intention of seeing anyone touch things that belonged to him. Before and now.
* * *
Baek Li Jang Cheon kept looking at Byeoktaesan.
Byeoktaesan’s role in today’s fight was enormous.
‘To be able to destroy the half Kang-shi just by being there.’
He didn’t know how long the fight against the half Kang-shi would continue. However, it was clear that they were aiming for the Homuryeon.
So, they had to keep Byeoktaesan in Homuryeon until the end.
‘Aren’t you moving too openly anyway?’
What will the enemies think about what happened this time?
It was obvious. They will try to get rid of Byeoktaesan.
“Perhaps he’s not being careful about it because he’s young.”
If someone had that kind of ability, they should have been much more careful. Of course, it might have been difficult for them to escape the danger this time, but the safety of Byeoktaesan was much more important than that.
At least until they had a way to deal with the half Kang-shi.
“Anyway, where else is he planning to go?”
Baek Li Jang Cheon frowned upon seeing Byeoktaesan moving.
Looking still, it wasn’t just Byeoktaesan, but also the people who came with him, and Yeon Ha-rin were going together.
Baek Li Jang Cheon looked around.
The cleanup was being finished. All they had to do was send them to Homuryeon and the situation was over.
Then they just needed to contact each family and ask them to send more guards.
Baek Li Jang Cheon rose from the seat.
And he called the leader of the Homuryeon bodyguards.
“You can do the rest on your own, right?”
The leader opened his eyes wide.
“Are you not planning to lead us, elder?”
“I have a place to go. So, take everyone and go back to Homuryeon. Go and tell the general manager to contact each family and send them at least three times more guards.”
“Yes. I will. But where should I say you went to elder?”
If they left like this, the Homuryeonju will surely ask, so he wanted to hear the answer in advance.
“Wouldn’t we have to protect that guy? And I have to protect a child who might become a family member later.”
“Sorry?”
The guard leader made a puzzled expression at the words of Baek Li Jang Cheon, and then nodded when he discovered Byeoktaesan and Yeon Ha-rin, who were moving away from his gaze.
“Ah… I know what you mean now.”
The leader’s eyes were very warm when he saw Yeon Ha-rin. He will probably not forget the memory of the previous fight for a long time.
Baek Li Jang Cheon looked at him being like that and the expression became strange again.
‘It’s regretful, very regretful indeed.’
Baek Li Jang Cheon mumbled like that and began to follow Byeoktaesan.
* * *
“What, that old man seems to be following us?”
At the words of the Il Chim Gui, Cheon Chu Shin Ui glanced back.
Baek Li Jang Cheon fell from the crowd and was coming their way.
“My lord, what should I do?”
“Just leave him alone.”
Everyone stopped paying attention to Baek Li Jang Cheon, fearing that Byeoktaesan’s words.
Only Yeon-Ha-rin, who was worried, glanced back.
Then, she suddenly realized that the direction they were moving in wasn’t towards Homuryeon.
“Where are we going now? Were we not going back to Homuryeon?”
“Huh? Didn’t we say anything?”
Cheon Chu-Shin Ui looked at Yeon Ha-rin. Then he turned his gaze and looked at Yoo Seo-yeon next to her.
Yoo Seo-yeon quickly whispered to Yeon Ha-rin.
“My lady, we are going to take care of the remaining enemies right now.”
“Remaining enemies?”
Yeon Ha-rin’s eyes became the size of a flower lamp.
Remnants. So, wasn’t it that they’re going to the home of those dangerous guys who attacked earlier?
It’s simple to know what kind of guys would be out there.
In addition, there was a master that was difficult to handle even for the Baek Li Jang Cheon.
Even if Baek Li Jang Cheon, who was now following, dealt with him, what if there are other masters like that?
“It’s going to be just us going there?”
Yoo Seo-yeon calmed down the surprised Yeon Ha-rin softly.
“We will go and see, and if it seems like we can’t handle it, we will just come back.”
Yoo Seo-yeon omitted the trailing words, ‘Although that will probably not happen.’
No matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t think they would lose.
Of course, it depends on who the enemy is, but she couldn’t imagine that Byeoktaesan would get done in.
“But… … .”
“Do not worry too much. It will really be fine.”
Yoo Seo-yeon said that and looked around the other people. Yeon Ha-rin followed Yoo Seo-yeon and looked at the rest of the people.
Everyone was so cool about it that she felt like a fool who was making a fuss for no reason.
As her mind calmed down by the surrounding situation, something else came into her eyes this time.
It was the Geumokruju.
It was the first time she saw her, but she was very pretty, and for some reason, her outfit was different from the other people.
“But she… Who is she?”
“Ah… the Geumokruju… So she is a Hao guild member, the Hao guild branch manager of Uichang to be exact.”
“The Hao guild?”
Yeon Ha-rin’s eyes narrowed at the word the Geumokruju, but her eyes widened when she said that she was the head of the Uichang Hao guild branch.
Now she understood the situation a little.
“So you must have tracked the remaining party with the Hao guild.”
“You are correct.”
Yeon Ha-rin looked at Byeoktaesan with a new look.
“Our lord, he really is amazing.”
Yoo Seo-yeon tried to say that love was making Yeon Ha-rin’s eyes blind. But when she thought about it, Byeoktaesan was fully worth hearing that he was amazing.
“Anyway isn’t it rude to make him walk like that? Shouldn’t we go and pick him up?”
Yeon Ha-rin glanced behind her and spoke.
Baek Li Jang Cheon was still following with the same distance.
He could have just walked up and asked where they were going, and asked to go together, but because he was acting like that she felt like she had to call him over.
However, no one in the party was interested in him. Only Yeon Ha-rin kept paying attention.
As Yeon Ha-rin continued to care about Baek Li Jang Cheon, Cheon Chu Shin Ui approached and said a little.
“Leave him alone. That old man, when something happens later, he’s just going to cut in and making a mess of things.”
“Sorry? No way.”
“And we are almost there anyway.”
At those words, Yeon Ha-rin looked ahead.
A man who seemed to be a Hao guild member in the distance was approaching quietly.
* * *
“So they are somewhere further inside?”
“Yes. I couldn’t enter anymore.”
The place the Hao guild member was at was an entrance to a small forest.
There were sparse trees, and there were large rocks everywhere, but the view was not secured properly because of the rocks.
This was the limit for the Hao guild member to approach without being noticed.
“Isn’t it possible that they moved to another place?”
“No. They are definitely in there.”
As Byeoktaesan stared at the Hao guild member, the Geumokruju, who was next to him, added an explanation.
“You can think of it as a sense of aura. It’s not a real aura, but they have a special sense that they have developed through long training.
“Then why wait? Let’s go in.”
Byeoktaesan said so and went inside.
The party urgently followed.
Baek Li Jang Cheon, who was following from a distance, quickly followed them into the forest.
Once inside, the Hao guild member’s ability shined.
He was very skillful and quickly looked at the trail to find the way the enemy had traveled.
They couldn’t walk fast, but they were able to move almost without stopping.
And soon a fairly large vacant lot appeared. And the vacant lot was surrounded by wooden barriers.
Inside the barriers, they saw several solid wooden buildings.
“The base was built very in earnest.”
Cheon Chu Shin Ui muttered like that and approached the barrier.
There was no one guarding. And there was no door going in and out.
If they had walked along the barrier, there may be a door, but Byeoktaesan didn’t intend to do that.
What Byeoktaesan did was to turn his head and look at Cheon Gyeong-wan.
Cheon Gyeong-wan stepped forward and drew his sword.
A deadly aura appeared on the blade.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
Cheon Gyeong-wan’s sword cut through the densely woven wood as if it were splitting tofu.
In an instant, he cut down enough trees wide enough that several people could enter and exit side by side.
Cheon Gyeong-wan grabbed the cut trees so that they would not fall on the floor, pulled them out slowly, and placed them on the floor.
Byeoktaesan was the first to enter. Everyone followed quickly, not considering the dangers that might wait inside.
The inside of the barrier was quiet.
As if everyone was inside the building, there was no one outside.
When Byeoktaesan and the group went inside quickly, a man came out of the building.
They were two men, but they weren’t half Kang-shi. But they were men who had learned martial arts.
Cheon Gyeong-wan and Yoo Seo-yeon flew before Byeoktaesan gave an order.
Each of the two took on one.
Those who came out of the building panicked and drew weapons.
Clang! Thud!
Cheon Gyeong-wan and Yoo Seo-yeon struck the enemy’s sword in the exact same motion and struck them in the pit of their stomach with their fist.
The two men spit blood on the floor.
“Aghhhhh!”
Thud!
Cheon Gyeong-wan and Yoo Seo-yeon stepped on the two men’s throats, respectively.
They fainted as their faces struck the floor in the blood they spilled.
Yeon Ha-rin, who watched the scene, was really surprised.
‘When did her skills improve like that?’
Yeon Ha-rin was a person who knew Yoo Seo-yeon very well. Because they have been together for a long time.
She was also one of the few people she could open her mind to around her.
However, her martial arts was clearly better than hers.
So she was able to send Yoo Seo-yeon to Byeoktaesan as a guard. Even without Yoo Seo-yeon, she was confident enough to protect her body in Wuhan.
But now that she looked at it, Yoo Seo-yeon had become much stronger than before.
The movement just before was at a level that it was difficult for Yeon Ha-rin to imitate.
She was looking at Yoo Seo-yeon with such surprised eyes, but she heard a soft tongue clicking from the side.
“Tsk tsk, your bodies look sluggish. I should have kept you training instead of bringing you guys here.”
Cheon Gyeong-wan and Yoo Seo-yeon trembled at Byeoktaesan’s words.
Yeon Ha-rin was confused with the desperateness that appeared in the expressions and eyes of the two.
‘What the hell happened?’
Yeon Ha-rin’s gaze went back and forth between Yoo Seo-yeon, Cheon Gyeong-wan, and Byeoktaesan.
And in earnest, people started pouring out of the building