Chapter 1: Opportunity (1)
Zhongliang County.
A large crowd gathered in the marketplace.
The middle-aged woman selling snacks from a stall, the man precariously carrying a water jug on his back, the children running around with friends, and various other passersby all directed their gazes in one direction.
A long procession was passing through the center of the village street.
Creak! Creak!
The sound of thick wooden bars on the carriage wheels could be heard.
Inside the wooden cages, visible between the guards escorting the procession, were prisoners with their hands and feet bound.
"Look at that."
"Ugh. They're completely covered in blood."
Their faces were haggard and full of wounds, as if they had endured severe hardships.
Their white prisoner's garments were stained red.
Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere in the village as they watched the procession was extremely grim.
The procession continued for a while.
Then, someone picked up a stone from the ground and threw it inside the wooden cage.
"You cockroach-like bastards!"
Thud!
"Urgh!"
The prisoner, with his limbs tied, couldn't avoid the stone and was hit.
Seeing the prisoner's pained expression,
some of the onlookers started grabbing whatever they could and throwing it.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The prisoners inside the wooden cages had no choice but to endure being hit.
"Wretched things!"
"Damn scoundrels!"
"Take this and die!"
None of the guards escorting them stopped this.
Rather, they just watched with mocking laughter.
This was the purpose of publicly transporting prisoners from the start.
To announce their crimes to the world.
"Hmm."
A middle-aged man was observing them from a second-floor window of an inn.
Sitting properly and sipping tea, the county's government official sitting across from him asked in confusion.
"Why do you react so?"
They were criminals.
The man before his eyes was not one to easily feel sympathy for prisoners.
At this, the middle-aged man glanced at a certain cage.
Unlike the other prisoners, there was one locked up alone.
It was a prisoner whose chest and abdomen were stained red.
"He's young."
The prisoner was sitting upright with disheveled hair.
Although half his face was obscured by the unkempt hair, he was clearly a boy at a glance.
At most, he seemed to be sixteen or seventeen years old.
'…The same age as the young master.'
Seeing that young prisoner suddenly reminded him of the young master he served.
But then he shook his head.
What did age have to do with committing crimes?
The government official, who had been observing him, spoke with a solemn expression.
"It's difficult to say until the execution, but despite his appearance, he seems to have committed the most serious crime among them."
Puzzled by those words, the middle-aged man asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The brat you called young is the most vicious of the prisoners transported this time."
"The most vicious?"
The middle-aged man couldn't hide his bewilderment.
What was so vicious about that young prisoner?
"…Did he harm people?"
The worst crime in the eyes of the government was treason, called the crime of high treason.
However, those who committed high treason were transported with their crimes publicly announced, so that couldn't be it.
Then, there was only one crime that could be considered the most vicious.
Murder.
"That's right."
At the government official's answer, the middle-aged man let out a soft sigh.
For ordinary civilians, murder was a grave crime, but for martial artists like himself, killing and being killed was not uncommon.
The government official clicked his tongue as he watched him.
"Tsk tsk. As expected of a martial artist, this doesn't seem to faze you much."
"In this world, people die left and right."
"That may be so. But if you knew that kid's identity…"
Thud!
Before the government official could finish speaking, a stone flew and struck the head of the boy inside the wooden cage.
The surroundings became noisy.
Blood was flowing from the boy's head.
However, unlike the other prisoners, the boy showed no signs of movement or groans of pain.
"That young boy is quite a unique one."
"Does he not feel pain? His head is like that, yet how…"
This sight caught the middle-aged man's attention as well.
'That kid…'
For those who have trained in internal energy or received training, enduring pain to some extent is possible.
However, that boy was an ordinary civilian.
Yet, despite being hit directly on the head by a stone hard enough to split it open, he didn't let out a single groan.
Furthermore, the lack of any movement was truly impressive.
Swish!
As the flowing blood soaked his head, the boy tilted his head upward as if it was bothersome.
This revealed his face that had been obscured by his hair.
Instantly, exclamations of surprise escaped the nearby onlookers' mouths.
The government official was the same.
"Oh my."
Even though his face was drenched in blood, his handsomeness couldn't be hidden.
With tall and well-proportioned features and delicate lines, his face possessed a unique charm.
Peculiarly, his impression seemed gentle, even kind.
"With a face like that, how could he do such things…?"
The government official was puzzled.
The middle-aged man was staring at the young prisoner with an extremely shocked expression.
"You… Why are you reacting like that?"
At that question, the middle-aged man flinched and shook his head.
"…It's nothing."
"Nothing?"
He pretended it was nothing, but just a moment ago, he clearly had a face as if he had received a shock.
As the official tried to ask again why he reacted that way, the middle-aged man stood up from his seat.
And he said,
"The tea was delicious. It seems I have an urgent matter to attend to."
"Oh my. We finally met after so long…"
"I'm in a hurry. Next time we meet, I'll treat you lavishly at Moon Fragrance Tower[1]."
"Moon Fragrance Tower? Ahem, ahem."
At his words, the corners of the government official's mouth twitched.
What man wouldn't be pleased to be treated at the most luxurious courtesan house in the district?
***
Near the end of the chou hour[2] at dawn,
In the underground level of the Zhongyang County government office's prison building,
Most of the imprisoned criminals were asleep, and even the guards watching over the prison were nodding off while leaning against the walls.
Amidst them, there was only one person who wasn't asleep.
It was the young prisoner with disheveled hair.
The boy locked in the prison was staring blankly at the wall.
'....'
It had been four days since he woke up after being thought dead.
Many things had happened during that time.
While it was fortunate that he miraculously survived, when he awoke, he was imprisoned as a criminal.
Moreover, the date of his public execution had already been set.
The punishment was 'quartering'.
It was a punishment where the arms and legs were each tied to different carts and torn apart, killing the person.
'…A fitting punishment, I suppose.'
He had brutally killed so many people that he was called the Sickle-slaying Demon.
Regardless of the method, it would be difficult to avoid the death penalty.
Nevertheless, there was no hint of regret or any anxious emotions in the boy's eyes.
Rather, the boy's mind was occupied with something else.
[What? Martial arts? Hey, kid. Have you perhaps ever met a martial artist?]
That's what one of the prisoners transported with him had said.
Thanks to that, the boy was able to solve the question he had been harboring.
'Martial artist…'
He had occasionally heard of them when he accompanied his grandfather to the village.
They said martial artists could run at the speed of a horse and surpassed the strength of ordinary people by cultivating something called qi.
What he had only heard through rumors turned out to be true.
That man had driven him to the brink of death in the blink of an eye.
'…The result would be the same even if we met again.'
No matter how much he thought about it without sleeping, he couldn't come up with a way to kill that man.
Even if he attempted a surprise attack or set a trap, would it work?
To begin with, that was a monster in human form.
'Are martial artists originally that strong?'
If that was the case, avenging his grandfather might become a distant dream.
No matter how much he struggled, if it was an existence he couldn't kill…
As he was deep in thought, the boy suddenly realized something.
'Martial arts.'
There was only one difference between that man and himself.
The difference between having learned martial arts and not having learned them led to that result.
Then, the conclusion might be simple.
'I need martial arts.'
If the conditions were the same, the outcome could be different.
It seemed he had finally found an answer.
However, there was a problem.
'No, two problems?'
The first was that he needed to get out of here.
If he remained still like this, he would be subjected to 'quartering' and die with his limbs torn apart.
The second was how he could learn martial arts.
'Who do I learn from?'
He needed to find someone to teach him martial arts, but he had no idea how to find such people.
Moreover, even if he somehow escaped from here, he was a prisoner.
If he broke out of prison, a warrant would undoubtedly be issued.
Then, who would be willing to teach martial arts to a criminal like him?
'…A complicated situation.'
His mind became chaotic again.
He newly realized that his grandfather's promise had been right.
No matter how much it was for the sake of revenge, he shouldn't have easily revealed his hidden nature.
'It's like I dug my own grave.'
Even if he realized it now, it was too late.
The consequences had already unfolded.
The one fortunate thing was that even though he was alive, that man didn't seem to know yet.
No, perhaps he knew but left him alone since he was in a situation where he would be executed.
As he was pondering over this,
Swish!
A faint sound came from somewhere.
The boy turned his body.
Sensing something strange, the boy held his breath and focused on the sounds coming from his surroundings.
'What is it?'
At the moment he was curious, something caught the boy's eye.
A faint haze-like substance was spreading from below the right side of the prison cell he was confined in.
The boy's eyes narrowed.
'Is there a fire?'
He wondered if there was a fire in the prison building.
However, that suspicion soon disappeared.
For a fire, there was no particular commotion, and it was too quiet.
But then,
Thud! Thud!
The sounds of something falling could be heard.
Judging from the direction of the sounds, it seemed to be where the guards were stationed.
'This is…'
The haze that had been spreading was now seeping into the boy's prison cell.
A faint scent tickled his nose, and a few medicinal herbs came to mind.
'Lizard's Tail[3]… Female Ginseng[4], Gromwell Root[5], Scented Solomon's Seal[6]…'
He had been gathering and cultivating medicinal herbs for nearly ten years while following his grandfather.
With a terrifyingly keen sense of smell, the boy instantly recognized the herbs mixed in the haze-like faint smoke.
'…Sleeping incense.'
Gromwell Roots and Scented Solomon's Seal were herbs that induced sleep.
With this combination, those who inhaled this smoke would not wake up for about two hours.
But the boy was different.
'The mixture is crude.'
Unless it was his grandfather's mixture, he wouldn't fall asleep from this level of sleeping incense because he had steadily built up resistance to various herbs since childhood.
'Hmm.'
The boy judged that something was happening.
On a deep night when everyone was asleep, sleeping incense had spread inside the government office's prison.
The boy leaned against the wall and focused on the sounds.
Swish! Swish!
The sound of someone moving while suppressing their presence could be heard.
It was a level of sound that ordinary people would have difficulty noticing, but it faintly reached the boy's ears.
'Who is it?'
They had spread sleeping incense and entered.
It meant they had come in with some purpose.
Very quiet footsteps were moving back and forth in various parts of the prison.
'What are they trying to do?'
He couldn't tell who had infiltrated and for what purpose.
Then, the footsteps headed towards his cell.
The boy lowered his head and deliberately pretended to be asleep.
Swish! Swish!
The footsteps stopped in front of his cell and didn't move.
'Could it be?'
Click!
The sound of the cell's lock being opened followed.
'…Was it me?'
The purpose was clearly the boy himself.
As it turned out this way, various thoughts came to his mind.
That man might have come to the prison to dispose of him, who hadn't died.
But why would he bother to seek out someone who was going to be executed?
'It doesn't matter.'
Regardless of the purpose, it had become clear that he was being targeted.
The boy breathed as evenly as possible.
So as not to let them notice that he hadn't succumbed to the sleeping incense.
Swish! Swish!
The sound of someone entering while suppressing their presence was heard again.
The intruder who had carefully snuck inside.
Even with his eyes closed, he could feel their presence right in front of him.
Tap!
The intruder lightly nudged the boy with their foot.
It seemed to be to check if he was really asleep.
The boy relaxed his body and didn't move.
Convinced that he was asleep, the intruder suddenly lifted the hair covering the front of the boy's face.
The intruder's steady breathing momentarily stopped.
'.....'
He could sense an emotional disturbance.
The boy, who had learned about ordinary people's emotions from his grandfather, could sensitively discern their state of mind through their expressions, actions, and breathing.
'It's a chance.'
Such agitation was an opportunity to target an enemy.
The boy swiftly raised the wooden cangue[7] restraining his hands upward with great force.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The defenseless intruder was struck on the chin and staggered backward.
The boy didn't miss this moment and tried to smash the intruder's head with the wooden cangue.
Right at that instant, the intruder kicked the boy's abdomen with their foot.
Thud!
And as the boy was pushed back, the intruder quickly struck acupuncture points on his chest with their fingers.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
It felt as if his body had stiffened and couldn't move.
As he wondered what this phenomenon was, the intruder muttered in disbelief.
"How are you not asleep?"
Chapter 2: Opportunity (2)
The intruder couldn't hide his bewilderment.
Even those who had trained their internal energy would fall into a deep sleep when caught off guard by the sleeping incense.
Let alone ordinary people who hadn't learned martial arts; just a whiff of this sleeping incense would make them suddenly fall asleep.
However, something unexpected had happened.
While everyone in the government office's prison had fallen asleep, this fellow was wide awake.
'Who the hell is this kid?'
Just to be sure, the intruder placed his hand on the boy's abdomen.
And he tried injecting his internal energy.
If the boy had even the slightest amount of internal energy, there would be a rebound.
However,
'There's no rebound.'
The boy hadn't learned any internal energy at all.
Then, as he had heard from the government official during the day, he was indeed an ordinary person.
But why wasn't the sleeping incense working on the kid?
'…This fellow?'
Moreover, he wasn't afraid of this situation.
It was one thing to resist the sleeping incense, but a stranger had infiltrated the prison and immobilized him with acupuncture.
Yet, he was staring at the intruder with unwavering eyes.
As if observing him.
'He's different.'
He had heard that the boy was a death row inmate, but he was somehow different from other ordinary boys his age.
How should he put it? The boy gave off an unsettling feeling.
The intruder found himself pondering for a moment.
'I guess…'
Just then, someone's voice came from behind.
"Haven't you found him yet?"
Someone had walked into the prison from the back.
They were also wearing a mask, but their build wasn't very large.
No, their slender and slightly short stature indicated that they weren't a fully grown adult.
The intruder quietly spoke.
"Young Master, I asked you to wait outside and keep watch…"
"Is that him?"
Before the intruder could finish speaking, the masked youngster pointed with his finger and asked.
It was the disheveled prisoner boy immobilized by acupuncture.
The intruder nodded.
"Yes, it is."
"I can't see his face clearly. Guard Gam, lift his hair."
It seemed he wanted to check the boy's face.
At those words, the intruder hesitated briefly before lifting the hair of the immobilized prisoner boy.
Then, a gasp escaped the masked youngster's mouth.
"Ah…"
The masked youngster couldn't hide his genuine astonishment.
The disheveled prisoner boy couldn't understand why they were reacting this way.
Why were they showing such a reaction, including the intruder who had immobilized him like this?
At that moment, the masked youngster removed his mask.
'!?'
The boy's eyes trembled.
The face of the youngster behind the mask.
It was as if he was looking into a mirror; the face resembled his own.
He was astounded to the point of disbelief at the resemblance, as if they were twins.
From the way their hair was styled to the subtle differences in their faces, if they were dressed similarly, even those who had known them for a long time might have trouble distinguishing between them.
"Do we look alike?"
"…Almost identical."
"Truly… amazing."
"I was also shocked when I first saw this fellow."
"I can see why."
What were the chances of a complete stranger having such a similar face?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was nearly impossible.
However, the prisoner boy and the unmasked youngster had nearly the same face.
After marveling at the resemblance for a while, the unmasked youngster approached the prisoner boy and said,
"You. You're a death row inmate, right?"
"…"
With even his mute acupoint sealed, there was no way he could answer.
The youngster gave the intruder a look.
Then, the intruder struck the prisoner boy's chest with his fingers.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
After finishing the acupuncture, the youngster said,
"Now you can answer. You're a death row inmate, right?"
At that question, the prisoner boy remained still for a moment before replying,
"…That's right."
The youngster raised the corners of his mouth at the polite response.
"You seem to be well aware of your situation."
After all, no matter how much of a death row inmate he was, he was just an ordinary person.
In front of martial artists, he was no different from a cat in front of a tiger. It would be strange if he didn't act politely.
The youngster crossed his arms and spoke in an arrogant voice.
"I heard your execution is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, right?"
"That's correct."
"What would you do if you had a chance to live a little longer?"
"…I want to live."
"Heh heh heh. Of course you would."
The youngster couldn't hide his satisfaction.
A death row inmate with no other options wouldn't hesitate to grab onto his pants if offered a chance to live.
The youngster grinned and said,
"Such an opportunity doesn't come easily. You're quite a lucky fellow for a death row inmate."
"…Are you giving me an opportunity?"
"That's right. A very big opportunity."
"What is it?"
"Even if it's only for five days, it's not often that a bastard like you gets to live as Mok Gyeong-un, the third young master of the great Yeon Mok Sword Manor[1]."
'Yeon Mok Sword Manor?'
He had never heard of it before.
From what he heard, it seemed to be some large estate.
The boy didn't know much, but the Yeon Mok Sword Manor was an old and prestigious martial arts clan located in the northern part of Anhui Province.
There was no way for him to know this, but one thing was certain.
"You want me to be a stand-in?"
At the prisoner boy's question, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth curled up.
"You're not stupid. That's right. Why would I need a death row inmate like you? What I need is that face of yours."
There was only one reason he had sought out someone with the same face.
It was to have him act as a substitute.
"…Do I just need to be a stand-in?"
"It's only for five days. Were you expecting some grand task? All you have to do is stay confined in the clan's villa and pretend to be the real young master."
"I see."
"You get to enjoy life as the young master of a prestigious clan for five days, and in return, you get to keep your life. What a great opportunity, isn't it?"
It was certainly true.
It made sense, but the boy wasn't foolish.
In the first place, being a substitute meant taking on risks in place of the real person.
There must be hidden dangers lurking for sure.
'A stand-in…'
However, he didn't have any other opportunities.
He had been pondering how to escape the government office's prison in the first place.
If he stayed put, he would be subjected to the cruel punishment of dismemberment.
There was no need to think twice.
"Please give me the opportunity."
"Heh."
Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and gestured.
Then, the masked intruder took out a small pouch from his bosom.
The boy, puzzled by this, asked,
"What is that?"
"Eat it."
"…?"
He wondered what he meant, but the intruder took out a black pill from the pouch.
A foul smell wafted out, and anyone could tell it had nothing to do with medicine.
The intruder brought the pill to the boy's mouth.
The boy looked at it and asked,
"…Is it poison?"
At this, Mok Gyeong-un scoffed and said,
"Did you think I would trust a mere death row inmate like you just like that?"
"…"
"If you complete the substitution without any issues, I'll give you the antidote. Heh heh heh."
It meant he was going to eliminate any chance of the boy doing anything reckless from the very beginning.
The intruder pressed the poison pill against his lips and said,
"Open your mouth."
There was no choice.
Looking at the grinning Mok Gyeong-un, the boy slowly opened his mouth and accepted the poison pill.
As he watched the boy chew the pill, the intruder's eyes flickered with interest.
Normally, if someone knew it was poison, they would make a distressed face and show signs of suffering, but the boy was chewing and swallowing it without any reaction.
He wasn't just swallowing it whole either.
'He's indeed different.'
Although he had the same face as the young master, he was a vicious one.
That must be why he became a death row inmate after killing many people without even learning martial arts.
'It was a good decision to prepare the poison pill in advance.'
Now that he had made him take it, if the boy wanted to live, he wouldn't be able to do anything reckless like trying to escape.
The boy stopped chewing and opened his mouth wide.
"I swallowed it, Young Master."
It was confirmed that there was nothing left in his mouth.
The size of the poison pill was too large to hide inside his mouth if he had pretended to swallow it.
Once it was confirmed, Mok Gyeong-un ordered,
"Untie him now."
"Understood."
The intruder found the key from the key ring he had prepared and unlocked the wooden restraints binding the boy's hands and feet.
'Phew.'
As his limbs were freed, the boy felt like he could live.
The wooden restraints were actually made of metal on the inside, pressing down on his wrists and making them incredibly heavy.
The intruder approached the entrance of the prison and quietly said,
"I will lead the way. You, follow behind me. Young Master, please follow behind him."
"Alright."
Since the boy had taken the poison pill, he wouldn't be able to escape, but it was a precautionary measure.
If the intruder led the way and the young master watched from behind, how could the fellow escape?
Even if he was a death row inmate, he was no different from a child compared to those who had learned martial arts.
"Follow me."
Just as he was about to open the prison door and leave,
"You! Ugh!"
Thud! Thump!
Startled by the sound from behind, the intruder turned his head.
However, an unbelievable scene unfolded before his eyes.
Mok Gyeong-un was lying on the floor with a shocked expression, his neck completely twisted and turned around.
'!!!'
It had happened so suddenly that the intruder was momentarily at a loss for words.
To him, the boy nonchalantly said,
"What should we do about this? The death row inmate who was supposed to be the stand-in is dead."
Chapter 3: Opportunity (3)
Mok Gyeong-un, who died instantly as his neck was broken.
The intruder was dazed for a very brief moment.
However, it didn't last long.
"You bastard!"
Thwack!
The intruder, his anger boiling over, swiftly reached out to the boy, grabbing his neck and slamming him against the wall.
Thud!
It was absurd.
Even if Mok Gyeong-un was only a third-rate martial artist with mediocre skills, the boy was an ordinary civilian.
Even if he was a death row inmate, the difference between him and someone who had learned martial arts was stark.
But even if it was a surprise attack, did it make sense for Mok Gyeong-un's neck to be broken in an instant?
As he wondered in disbelief, the boy spoke to him with an expressionless face.
"…Even if you used sleeping incense, you shouldn't make a commotion, right?"
"What? You bastard, now you're…!?"
The intruder furrowed his brows.
He was grabbing the boy's neck, but there were no signs of distress.
Rather, the boy was speaking perfectly fine.
'This guy, now that I think about it, why is his neck so…'
The boy's neck muscles were quite developed, like someone who had trained their external martial arts.
To the extent that proper internal energy would be needed to break it.
'Could he have cultivated external martial arts? No, that can't be. If he had, he should have at least some internal energy.'
Even external martial arts required the foundation of internal energy circulation.
However, this fellow truly had no internal energy.
It seemed he wasn't a simple one.
Although the intruder's mind was getting complicated, that wasn't the important matter at hand.
"You crazy bastard. The young master gave you an opportunity, but you've really gone mad. To actually do this to the person who gave a mere death row inmate like you a chance…"
"Am I misunderstanding the purpose of being a stand-in?"
"What?"
"In the first place, being a stand-in means taking on risks in place of the real person. Of course, for me, it's an opportunity to extend my life by about three days, but if you went as far as breaking a death row inmate out of prison to have them act as a stand-in, doesn't it also mean you can dispose of them at any time?"
The boy spoke calmly.
At his words, the intruder was momentarily at a loss for words.
This fellow was more intelligent than he thought.
If he were an ordinary civilian and a typical death row inmate, he would be preoccupied with overcoming the current crisis.
'No, how could he even do something like this in the first place?'
Not only did he analyze the situation in an instant, but he was also taking a gamble.
Even though he could die at any moment.
'What kind of guy is he…?'
As he found it absurd, the boy opened his mouth.
"May I ask you something?"
"You bastard, can't you assess the situation…"
"You said you're a bodyguard, but you're quite composed considering your master is dead."
"You little…"
"If you have this much rationality left in a situation where you should want to kill me, it doesn't seem like you have much affection for your master, does it?"
"Ha!"
The intruder was dumbfounded by the boy's words.
He was reading his state of mind to an unpleasant degree.
As the boy said, the intruder didn't have much affection for this good-for-nothing young master.
He was just perplexed and angered by this unexpected situation.
Of course, that didn't mean his judgment was clouded enough to immediately kill the boy and escape the government office's prison.
'This is ridiculous.'
To think he was being swayed by a mere death row inmate boy.
As the boy said, now that things had come to this point, killing him was the right thing to do.
However, if he lost the boy as well in a situation where the young master had already lost his life, the Yeon Mok Sword Manor would hold him responsible with his own life.
'shit, this has become a real mess.'
His plan to somehow make the third young master the Manor Master and become the head of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor, living out his old age in comfort, had turned to dust.
Because of this damned death row inmate brat, all his investments had been for naught.
As he felt frustrated, the boy said,
"If you don't particularly have any affection for him, how about switching horses?"
"Switching horses (sides)?"
"Wouldn't it be more convenient to think of the one lying on the floor as a prisoner who will be executed the day after tomorrow?"
The boy spoke nonchalantly.
Looking at him, the intruder was both dumbfounded and somehow felt a chill run down his spine.
Wasn't this damned death row inmate essentially saying he would become Mok Gyeong-un now?
Squeeze!
The intruder tightened his grip on the boy's neck.
"Urgh…"
Only now did the boy let out a slightly pained groan.
The intruder glared at him and said,
"Did you, a mere death row inmate, kill the young master with that in mind?"
At his words, the boy chuckled and said,
"Is there… any other… reason?"
'!?'
The intruder gulped at the boy's words.
Just what kind of creature was he?
His very thought process seemed to be on a completely different wavelength from ordinary people.
His cunning was no joke.
No, perhaps that's why he ended up as a death row inmate in the first place.
'This guy is dangerous.'
Regardless of whether the Yeon Mok Sword Manor held him responsible or not, he thought it might be better to kill him now.
His instincts were strongly telling him.
Regardless of martial arts or age, getting involved with this fellow would bring nothing good.
Squeeze!
"Ack!"
He applied even more force to his grip.
It would be difficult for the boy to endure with internal energy.
"Don't make me laugh. It's better for you to just die here."
Let's kill him.
Even if it meant starting anew.
At that moment, the boy suddenly grabbed the intruder's wrist.
Smack!
"It's no use. I might have killed the young master with luck, but I'm different."
The intruder tried to lightly slap away the boy's hand with his opposite hand, infused with internal energy, but,
Smack!
'This brat?'
The boy resisted.
It felt like hitting a thick tree trunk.
He felt the resilience in the boy's wrist, and his muscles were extremely firm.
Enough to withstand a force infused with internal energy.
In an instant, the intruder swiftly tore off the sleeve of the boy's prisoner's garment with his quick hand movements.
'!?'
The intruder's eyes widened.
The shape of dense muscles was clearly visible.
He almost let out a gasp at the sight of the muscles, developed as if he had trained only external martial arts for over a decade.
Now the mystery was solved.
'…No wonder the young master was overpowered.'
It wasn't just luck from a surprise attack.
Judging by the density of this fellow's muscles, it would be difficult to inflict damage without considerable martial arts skill.
With just his physique, he surpassed the level that a third-rate martial artist could handle.
'If a guy like this had properly learned martial arts…'
He might have become a high-level expert.
However, to properly cultivate internal energy, one had to start between the ages of five and ten.
If it was too late, impurities would accumulate in the meridians throughout the body, slowing down the circulation of internal energy.
Squeeze!
At that moment, the wrist grabbing the boy's neck started to ache.
The boy was applying force, trying to remove the intruder's hand.
'What kind of strength does this bastard have?'
He was using the power of a seventh-level martial artist, yet the boy was trying to push it away with brute force.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a powerhouse based on strength alone.
If he let his guard down, it seemed like the boy might really break free.
'This won't do.'
The intruder then employed the Grappling Hand Technique technique.
Releasing the hand gripping the boy's neck, he grabbed the boy's wrist and twisted the joint, making it face towards his lower back.
'Huh?'
It happened so quickly that the boy's wrist was twisted without any chance to resist.
'How did he do that?'
Was this also a martial art?
If so, it seemed quite ingenious.
He had used the boy's own strength to twist his wrist.
However, thanks to that, the hand gripping his neck was released, making it easier to breathe and speak.
Shing!
The intruder was seen drawing something from his waist.
It was a dagger.
It seemed he was going to stab the boy with it.
The boy then said,
"Is there really a need to kill me?"
"What?"
"Since I'll die without the antidote, I have no choice but to listen to you, right?"
At those words, the intruder momentarily stopped his attempt to stab the boy.
The situation was so absurd that he had forgotten, but the boy had taken the poison pill he had brought.
But remembering that made it even more ridiculous.
'Ha!'
To think a guy who had even taken a poison pill would do such a crazy thing.
He was so puzzled as to why the boy had done this when he couldn't even live if the intruder didn't give him the antidote.
'Is it because he's the only substitute if the young master dies?'
His cunning was too much.
Then the boy said,
"I have no interest in the Yeon Mok Sword Manor or being the third young master."
"No interest? Then why are you doing this crazy thing now…"
"I just have a reason to live a little longer."
"Live longer?"
what the …. was he talking about?
As he wondered, the boy spoke in a meaningful tone.
"Since you have the antidote, you can control me like a puppet as you wish."
The intruder flinched at the boy's words.
He had only thought his retirement plan had been ruined.
Because he had wanted to obtain a peaceful life, unlike in the past.
And he wasn't without a sense of being fed up with going somewhere else and investing time.
How much investigation and time had he spent to find the place he considered ideal?
'Control as I wish…'
For a moment, he fell into contemplation.
It was a tempting offer, but he wasn't a fool.
Although he had only briefly experienced it, this fellow was extremely dangerous.
He was cunning and difficult to control.
However, if he was someone who clung to his life to this extent, he wouldn't be able to defy the intruder for the time being, even if it was because of the poison pill.
'…Should I take this opportunity to switch sides?'
There was only one reason he had tried to find a substitute in the first place.
To save the young master's life.
But the young master was already dead.
Then using this fellow to switch sides was also a good method.
If he became a powerful figure and tried to control this fellow from behind, it would only give him a headache as time passed.
'Yes, let's use him and dispose of him.'
After a brief contemplation, the intruder made a decision.
To use the boy only until he could switch sides.
The intruder warned,
"If you show even the slightest suspicious sign, I'll kill you. If you disobey my orders, you die."
"Understood."
The boy answered without a moment's hesitation.
"If you don't take the antidote for the poison within twelve hours, the poison will spread throughout your body, so you better remember that."
Thwack!
Finally, the intruder released the twisted arm.
And as the boy got up, he said,
"From this moment on, you… are Mok Gyeong-un."
"Understood. Should I call you Sir Guard Gam?"
"Yes."
"In front of others, I can speak casually to you, right?"
"…Right."
He didn't want to be spoken down to by the boy, but it was certainly better to be clear.
Then the boy, no, Mok Gyeong-un, approached the collapsed 'real Mok Gyeong-un'.
And he started undressing him.
'Hmm.'
Guard Gam watched with a displeased look.
Even without being told, the boy was trying to swap clothes with the real one, showing how extremely cunning he was.
He only felt sorry for the dead 'real Mok Gyeong-un'.
Swish swish!
Mok Gyeong-un took off the prisoner's garment top.
'…Look at this guy.'
Inside his upper body were highly developed, dense muscles.
Even with the red-stained bandages wrapped around his chest and abdomen, the shape of his muscles was distinct enough to imagine how developed they were.
'To think this is a body that hasn't trained external martial arts.'
He was even more amazed now than before.
Guard Gam, who had been staring intently at Mok Gyeong-un's upper body, narrowed his eyes.
'But the bandages suggest he suffered a severe injury, so why does he look fine on the outside?'
That was the question.
If it were an old wound, it would be understandable, but it was recent.
Yet Mok Gyeong-un's complexion and movements seemed unaffected.
'what the …. is going on?'
He became curious about what this fellow had done to end up as a death row inmate.
It seemed he would have to meet the government official acquaintance again.
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un, who had changed clothes, turned his head to him and said,
"May I borrow your dagger?"
"Dagger… Why?"
Mok Gyeong-un pointed to the head of the dead 'real Mok Gyeong-un' and spoke nonchalantly.
"The young master's body is more frail than mine, so I think I'll have to take the body and leave only the head."
"…"
It certainly made sense, but as expected, this fellow was unsettling.
It seemed the best course of action was to switch sides quickly.
Chapter 4: Mok Sword Manor (1)
Mok Gyeong-un unwrapped the bandages and looked at his upper body reflected in the mirror.
There were scars from stab wounds on the left side of his chest and abdomen.
'Scars?'
Normally, even considerable wounds wouldn't leave scars.
However, the wounds inflicted by that man's black sword had turned into scars.
It seemed they would likely remain for life.
'Well… can't be helped.'
He had to be satisfied with surviving.
Even he thought wounds of that extent would be fatal.
But contrary to expectations, he had survived.
He was aware that he had exceptional recovery abilities from the beginning, but his tenacity for life was beyond imagination.
'Is this a sign that I shouldn't go there yet?'
Fortunately.
If he had to listen to his grandfather's nagging, he at least wanted to complete his revenge.
That way, it would be less unjust.
'Revenge…'
Thinking about revenge, he felt he was lucky.
Who would have thought there would be someone in the world with the exact same face as him?
Thanks to that, he could cleanse his identity.
'Should I say I'm lucky?'
Since the identity of the death row inmate had been killed, there would be no wanted posters saying he had escaped.
In fact, more than the government office issuing wanted posters, he had something else in mind.
'They'll probably think I'm dead now, right?'
The middle-aged man with the black sword whom he had encountered while tracking his nemesis's traces.
That man had appeared to kill him.
But if the fact that he was alive was discovered, the man would undoubtedly show up again.
'…Martial arts.'
He had clearly experienced it.
That man was a monster he had encountered for the first time in his life.
It seemed impossible to confront him without learning martial arts.
In that regard, it seemed like a stroke of fate.
The guy who had the same face as him was the third young master of the martial arts clan, Yeon Mok Sword Manor.
He could now deceive that bastard and the world as the third young master of Yeon Mok Sword Manor, not as the Sickle-slaying Demon, and furthermore, an opportunity to learn martial arts had opened up.
'It has opened up, but…'
There was just one problem.
Mok Gyeong-un looked at the black figure standing outside the door while putting on his top.
It was the person Guard Gam had placed to monitor him.
Because of that, he was confined to the villa and couldn't move except when going to the latrine.
'How annoying.'
The situation wasn't easy.
It was no different from being imprisoned.
Although they had made a deal, as expected, Guard Gam didn't trust him at all.
It would probably continue like this.
It might be natural since he had boldly killed the 'real one' right in front of his eyes.
'What should I do?'
If he stayed still, he would only be manipulated like this.
There might not even be an opportunity to learn martial arts.
It was a situation where he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to do anything.
Nevertheless, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled with a rather nonchalant face.
Knock knock!
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
"Young Master, I've brought your lunch."
Soon, the door opened, and a maid brought a tray of food.
It was beef and eggplant stir-fry, bean sprouts, and rice.
As she always did, the maid placed the tray on the round table by the window.
She glanced at Mok Gyeong-un, who was buttoning his top and sitting on a chair.
'He's handsome.'
Among the four young masters of Yeon Mok Sword Manor, Mok Gyeong-un's looks were by far the best.
To the extent that the maids would compete to bring him his meals and want to see his face.
One needed to have such small pleasures, didn't they?
However,
'Huh?'
The maid slightly furrowed her brows.
With a faint smile on his face, he didn't look any different from the usual Mok Gyeong-un.
But what was this subtle sense of unfamiliarity?
'What is it?'
Something felt different.
It was quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was.
As the maid was puzzled inside, she was about to take the tray and leave when,
"Wait a moment."
"Yes?"
"About the beef and eggplant stir-fry."
"Yes."
"Next time, I'd like the beef to be less cooked."
"But if it's undercooked, the blood…"
"Beef is more tender when it's rare, and it's delicious when it's slightly soaked in blood."
He smiled brightly as he said that.
The moment she saw his smile, a chill ran down the maid's spine.
She seemed to understand why she felt the unfamiliarity.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were staring at her without moving at all.
It felt like her body was stiffening.
"Is there a problem?"
"That… well…"
Once seized by fear, it was difficult to answer.
Right then,
"The chef will handle the cooking as he sees fit, Young Master."
Mok Gyeong-un turned his head toward the door.
Guard Gam was entering through the open door.
He shook his head with a displeased look and waved his hand at the maid.
The maid bowed her head and hurriedly went out.
Thud!
Guard Gam closed the door and approached Mok Gyeong-un, saying,
"I warned you not to do anything conspicuous, didn't I?"
Mok Gyeong-un picked up some rice with his chopsticks and replied,
"Is asking for the beef to be cooked less considered conspicuous?"
"You're Mok Gyeong-un, not a death row inmate."
"The paper you gave me to memorize didn't mention what kind of meat the 'real one' preferred."
Mok Gyeong-un calmly retorted.
'This bastard.'
Guard Gam's expression hardened at his attitude.
It wasn't exactly wrong, but he didn't like how the boy talked back at every turn.
It was annoying, and the way he was chewing his food was also irksome.
Guard Gam sat across from him and said,
"Judging by the way you're talking, I assume you've memorized everything I told you to, right?"
"Yes. There wasn't much to it."
"Not much to it? Ha! Then what's the name of the eldest young master?"
"Mok Yeong-ho. Age twenty. Has a mole on his left cheek and is so absorbed in women . The most incompetent among the four brothers, but greedy and tyrannical."
'…'
One of Guard Gam's eyebrows rose.
It was accurate without a single mistake.
Since the real young master had written the information sheet himself, it was bluntly written from his own perspective.
"…What about the second young master?"
"Mok Eun-pyeong. Age eighteen. Has droopy eyes like the main wife. Cunning and treacherous. A piece of trash who would do anything to become the head of the clan."
Mok Gyeong-un had memorized it exactly as it was written.
The forceful handwriting gave a strong impression of dislike.
'It would be easier if he were a dimwit.'
Guard Gam clicked his tongue inwardly.
As expected, the fellow was cunning and had memorized everything.
There seemed to be no need to check further.
"Should I also talk about the fourth young master? Or the real Mok Gyeong-un's usual habits…"
"That's enough."
"Then, I haven't finished my meal yet, so may I continue?"
"Hmph. Eat and listen."
"Understood."
Guard Gam got up from his seat, looked out the window with his hands behind his back, and opened his mouth.
"Although you've familiarized yourself with the information on the sheet, you'll hardly have any occasions to meet other people in this household."
"…Why is that?"
"Even if you have the same face as the young master, the longer the tail, the more likely it is to get stepped on. In the first place, we just need to avoid creating such situations."
"So you're saying I should stay cooped up inside?"
"You catch on quick."
"This doesn't seem much different from being a substitute."
"You volunteered to be a puppet instead of a substitute. Since you chose that path yourself, you just need to do as you're told."
Guard Gam made it clear.
So that this cunning fellow couldn't have any other thoughts.
"I just need to do as I'm told, right?"
"That's right."
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
"No."
At Guard Gam's final words, Mok Gyeong-un, who had been using his chopsticks, narrowed his eyes.
He had been told about the information he needed to be familiar with, but other than habits or personal details that wouldn't easily give away the fact that he was a fake, he wasn't told anything else.
Especially the most important information.
'He's not telling me why a substitute was needed.'
Of course, he had guessed that they might not tell him.
Because of this, Mok Gyeong-un could be certain of one thing.
'Are they planning to leave me in a dangerous situation that requires a substitute?'
Otherwise, there would be no reason not to tell him.
They had made him take a poison pill, and now that the 'real Mok Gyeong-un' was dead, he thought they would utilize him for a while since he was the only substitute.
But it seemed that wasn't the case.
They probably had another hidden card up their sleeve.
The corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth curled up savagely as he was lost in thought.
'They're trying to switch sides.'
***
Thud!
Guard Gam, who had closed the door, said to the sharp-eyed middle-aged man guarding outside,
"Make sure he never escapes. And if someone comes looking for him, come up with an excuse that he's not feeling well or something, so he doesn't come face to face with others."
"Understood."
"I'll be out for a bit."
As he was about to leave, the middle-aged man whispered,
"Captain. But is there really a need to switch sides?"
"Huh?"
"You've made him take the poison pill anyway. Wouldn't it be better to just control that fake fellow? After all, the reason you chose the third young master…"
"That fellow is no good."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I mean he's not someone who can be easily controlled."
At Guard Gam's words, the middle-aged man inwardly scoffed.
No matter how much of a death row inmate the fellow was, he was just an ordinary civilian who hadn't learned martial arts.
Yet, it was amusing how the captain was overreacting like this.
Perhaps because he had retired from the front lines and lived as a bodyguard, his sharpness had indeed dulled compared to the past.
If it bothered him that much, he could just step on the fellow and teach him a lesson.
However, regardless of his own thoughts, he couldn't talk back to the captain.
"I understand."
"Watch him closely. If he tries to do anything unnecessary, subdue him with the Grappling Hand technique. I allow you to inflict some pain, except for the face."
"Oho. Really?"
"That might be better for that fellow. Anyway, guard him well."
"Understood."
The middle-aged man raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.
***
About fifteen minutes after Guard Gam left,
The closed door opened.
The middle-aged man guarding the door blocked Mok Gyeong-un, who was trying to go out.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going out for a bit."
"To the latrine?"
"No. I thought I'd take a look around outside the villa. I needed someone to talk to anyway, so would you like to come with me?"
Mok Gyeong-un spoke nonchalantly.
Seeing his attitude, the middle-aged man shook his head in disbelief.
The captain had just left, and he was already trying to run out?
The middle-aged man spoke in a cold tone,
"If you don't want to see a rough sight, go back in right now."
"Did you say Go Chan? I think nothing will happen if the two of us just keep our mouths shut…"
Before Mok Gyeong-un could finish speaking,
Swish swish smack!
The middle-aged man, no, Go Chan, swiftly grabbed Mok Gyeong-un's wrist and twisted it behind his back.
It was a Grappling Hand Technique.
According to the captain, although the boy's external strength was not remarkable, his muscle density was unusual, so rather than striking, it was easier to subdue him by twisting his joints.
'Nothing special.'
Using the Grappling Hand Technique after a long time, it seemed his skills hadn't rusted.
Feeling better after twisting the boy's arm, he whispered into Mok Gyeong-un's ear,
"You seem to have forgotten your place, but you're not the real Mok Gyeong-un. There's nothing good about unnecessarily provoking me."
Squeeze!
He twisted the wrist even more.
Regardless of his muscles, having his joint twisted must be painful.
"Go back in and stay put."
Go Chan warned in a low voice.
He thought the boy would naturally go back in on his own after this much, but,
"What if I don't want to?"
"What?"
Go Chan snorted in disbelief.
He had heard the boy's thinking was unusual, but he seemed out of his mind.
If he didn't want to go back in obediently, what else could he do?
"Foolish fellow."
Go Chan struck the back of Mok Gyeong-un's neck with his hand infused with internal energy.
Smack!
With this much force, regardless of his muscles, he would faint from the impact.
That's what he thought, but something was strange.
It felt like he had hit a wooden pillar.
'What?'
He thought the boy would definitely collapse, but he was enduring it just fine.
Thinking he might not have used enough internal energy, he tried to apply more, but Mok Gyeong-un's voice was heard,
"You do seem weaker than Guard Gam."
'This bastard?'
It seemed he didn't feel any pain at all.
Otherwise, how could he speak so calmly after being hit on the back of the neck?
Feeling unsettled, Go Chan decided it wouldn't do and tried to twist Mok Gyeong-un's wrist even more to slam him to the ground.
However,
Squeeze!
No matter how much he twisted, the boy didn't budge.
No, the boy was straightening his twisted wrist and forearm.
'Wha- what the ….…?'
Startled, Go Chan summoned his martial power to the fullest.
He couldn't worry about the fellow getting hurt or not.
He had to subdue him first and then see.
But,
'Huh?'
The moment he tried to draw upon his martial power, his body floated upward with a whoosh.
Then, he was slapped down in front of the boy.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Fortunately, it didn't seem like he was thrown down too hard.
He quickly tried to bounce his waist and get up, but Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his neck with his right hand.
Squeeze!
"Guh!"
The strength of that grip was so immense that it felt like his neck would break at any moment.
Go Chan's eyes trembled and started to turn bloodshot.
He hurriedly grabbed the boy's wrist and tried to push it away to free himself.
But it wouldn't budge at all.
'Th- this bastard, what the …. is he? How can he be so strong…?'
In terms of martial arts, he had reached the second-rate level.
It was no exaggeration to say that he possessed twice the strength of an average adult man.
Yet, he couldn't handle the strength of one hand of this fellow who hadn't even learned martial arts.
"Guh, guh."
His breath was getting cut off.
It felt like his face would burst.
Struggling in agony, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the boy's face.
'Smiling?'
The corners of the boy's mouth were curled up to his ears.
He had a face like an innocent child playing with a toy.
Chapter 5: Mok Sword Manor (2)
'what the …. is this bastard…?'
Not only was his breath being cut off, but a chill ran down his spine.
The gaze in Mok Gyeong-un's eyes, as he was grinning from ear to ear, was strangely spine-chilling.
Now he understood why Guard Gam, the captain, had said those words.
[I mean he's not someone who can be easily controlled.]
He thought it was just something he said.
But actually experiencing it, the boy was clearly different from ordinary people.
Even without having learned martial arts, his immense strength and the ominous pressure in his eyes were crushing his mind like pulp.
Squeeze!
"Ugh…"
The force squeezing his throat intensified.
He endured it with his internal energy, but he couldn't hold on any longer.
Seeing his eyes burning, it seemed he would soon lose consciousness.
At that moment,
Swish!
The hand gripping his neck loosened.
"Cough, cough!"
As his blocked airway opened, he coughed as if choking.
Amidst that, he was puzzled.
'Why?'
Mok Gyeong-un, who had been enjoying it with a grin up to his ears, stopped smiling.
Then, he spoke as if he were disappointed,
"I almost killed you."
"Cough, cough… Wh- what?"
"If I kill you like this, becoming Mok Gyeong-un would be meaningless, wouldn't it?"
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Go Chan's eyes wavered.
It felt like the boy was toying with him.
Just what was this bastard?
Go Chan, his anger surging, opened his mouth with trembling lips.
"…Do you have the confidence to handle the consequences of doing this?"
"Consequences?"
"Without the antidote, you will die. And it will be a very painful death."
Go Chan mentioned the poison Mok Gyeong-un had ingested.
He thought this fake fellow would also know that and stop midway.
But it was too late.
He had already seen this fellow's unsettling side.
As the captain said, this fellow was someone who could never be controlled.
Although he didn't know what would happen after five days, if he were to switch sides, it would be better to kill him in any way possible.
'If I leave him be, he will surely stab me in the back.'
However, at the moment, the one holding the knife was this fellow, so he had to make him realize his position.
Go Chan spoke in a low voice,
"If Guard Gam finds out, he won't let you off easy."
"That's probably true."
"…But I'll consider this incident as an impulsive act."
"What does that mean?"
"I'll consider it as something you did out of frustration from being confined, so go back to your room now."
"Go back to my room?"
"Yes. If you obediently go back on your own, I'll pretend what just happened never occurred."
At those words, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said,
"If that were the case, I wouldn't have bothered coming out."
Go Chan frowned.
Did this fellow really not understand the situation?
Why was a bastard who had even taken a poison pill and had his life at stake acting so arbitrarily?
"If the captain, no, Guard Gam finds out…"
"Yes, yes. He won't just let it slide."
"But now, if you resist here…"
"If Guard Go keeps his mouth shut, nothing will happen. What's the problem?"
"What?"
Go Chan was dumbfounded by Mok Gyeong-un's brazen words.
As his senior said, he really seemed uncontrollable.
Go Chan spoke, trying to suppress his anger.
"They must have told you that if you don't take the antidote or neutralizer within the hour, your life will also end, but you can't come to your senses…"
Before he could finish his words,
"Monkshood, aconite, hemlock, pinellia…"
'!?'
At the medicinal herbs, no, poisonous herbs coming out of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth, Go Chan's expression instantly hardened.
They were all plants that went into the poison pill.
"Woodbine[1], magic mushroom, dutchman's pipe. Is that about it?"
'…Impossible.'
Go Chan was dumbstruck.
Even if he got one or two wrong, it would have been understandable, but he was accurate.
He correctly identified all the toxic ingredients that went into the poison pill.
The reason he was so shocked wasn't simply because the boy guessed the ingredients.
The poison pill was made by combining these ingredients, boiling them, and drying them to make the pill, so it couldn't be identified just by tasting it.
"Wh- what the …. are you?"
Even the Poison Emperor Cho Ak-gyeong or the Medicine Immortal Mun-no, would they be capable of this?
'Didn't they say he was an ordinary death row inmate?'
He was curious about this fellow's true identity.
As he was astounded, Mok Gyeong-un said,
"Since I was young, I ate all sorts of medicinal and poisonous herbs. I tried boiling them and drying them."
"What? You ate poisonous herbs?"
"An herbalist must know their effects, they said."
'…It's not just for that reason, though.'
He knew there were other reasons, but it didn't matter now.
Anyway, Mok Gyeong-un could distinguish medicinal herbs with sensitive precision.
No, if it was something he had personally tasted or even slightly smelled, he remembered it.
Even his grandfather would stick out his tongue in amazement at that.
"A herbalist, you say?"
"Oh, you didn't know? I originally lived by gathering medicinal herbs."
"Nonsense! How can a mere herbalist identify the ingredients in a poison pill just by tasting it?"
It was something that couldn't be possible.
"Judging by your surprise, I guess I was right."
Mok Gyeong-un approached him as he was startled.
As he suddenly closed the distance, Go Chan unknowingly took a step back.
Go Chan hurriedly said,
"E- even if you know that, what do you think you can do? Making the antidote is even more difficult than the poison pill."
He gathered internal energy in his Yongcheon acupoint[2] to use lightness skill if necessary.
This fellow was extremely unsettling.
He had to be prepared because he didn't know what he would do.
'Even if his strength is greater than ordinary people, he hasn't learned martial arts. Then, if I use the lightness skill, he won't be able to catch up.'
He thought it would be fine as long as he didn't directly confront him.
Right at that moment,
Crunch!
As Mok Gyeong-un took a step, the wooden floor beneath his foot was dented.
It was an immense leg strength.
'Oh no!'
As if a tiger was pouncing, Mok Gyeong-un instantly charged forward.
Jumping back was useless.
Mok Gyeong-un's speed was too fast to secure any distance.
Thwack!
Mok Gyeong-un's hand stretched out.
Thinking he would naturally aim for the neck or head, Go Chan tried to defend by crossing his arms.
But that wasn't it.
Tap tap tap tap tap!
"Ugh!"
Mok Gyeong-un's fingers struck acupuncture points on his chest.
Go Chan's eyes widened.
He was certain this fellow didn't know any martial arts.
In fact, there were no signs of him having cultivated internal energy, so he thought that was the case, but the acupoints he just struck were the paralysis acupoint that stiffened the body and the mute acupoint that prevented speech.
'Could it have been a lie?'
He accurately struck the acupoints.
Once the acupoints were sealed, he shouldn't be able to move or speak.
However, even though his chest ached and his body felt creaky, he could still move.
"What is this…?"
As he wondered what was going on, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head and muttered,
"Was it not like this?"
"What?"
"I tried imitating what Guard Gam did, but it doesn't seem to work. I thought doing it this way would make the body unable to move and prevent speech."
'!?'
Mok Gyeong-un spoke nonchalantly.
At his words, Go Chan was not only dumbfounded but also flabbergasted.
If this was true, did it mean he had imitated exactly what he had experienced himself?
'He imitated what he saw?'
If he knew nothing, he would have thought the boy had learned it.
He might have even thought the boy had practiced it dozens of times to perform it.
Because he had struck the acupoints almost accurately.
'Just who is this guy?'
If he had internal energy, the acupoints would have been sealed.
It ended with his body stiffening slightly because the boy had just poked them forcefully without skill.
As he was stunned and at a loss for a moment,
Grab!
"Guh!"
While he was caught off guard, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his neck.
Since he was standing, he tried to kick the boy's groin with his foot, but,
Crack!
His neck was slightly twisted.
If he applied a little more force here, it would snap.
As his life was in danger, Go Chan couldn't move an inch in that state.
"…S- stop. If you don't want the antidote…"
"Ah, about that. It's still a secret from Guard Gam, but… actually, I don't need it."
"What?"
what the …. was he talking about?
He doesn't need the antidote?
As he wondered what was going on, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said,
"Since I ate so many poisonous herbs from a young age, I developed a resistance."
"Re- resistance?"
"Well, my stomach would ache when I ate them, but a crude mixture like the one Guard Gam gave me doesn't even faze me."
'Crude mixture?'
Go Chan was dumbfounded.
The poison pill still used by the society[3] was crude?
This was a poison pill with such potent toxicity that even a first-rate internal martial arts master, if affected, would have difficulty detoxifying it even after cultivating qi for half a month.
'Just what is this guy?'
If anyone else had said it, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.
But strangely, it was hard to deny the boy's words.
At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un did something strange.
Chomp!
He suddenly bit his own index finger.
Go Chan didn't know why he was doing that, but the boy suddenly brought his bleeding finger to Go Chan's mouth.
"Wh- what are you trying to d- mmph!"
He couldn't refuse.
Mok Gyeong-un's finger invaded his mouth.
Drops of blood wet his tongue and flowed down his throat.
With an uneasy feeling, he tried not to swallow, but he had no choice because his neck was being gripped.
But not long after swallowing the blood,
"Ugh!"
His chest became hot.
A burning pain suddenly engulfed his body.
Even after Mok Gyeong-un released his grip, the pain was so intense that it felt like his internal organs were twisting.
"Aaaah!"
'Po- poison?'
No matter how he thought about it, this was poison.
Otherwise, there was no way it could cause such pain.
Go Chan hurriedly tried to circulate his qi, but as he tried to sit cross-legged, Mok Gyeong-un kicked his body.
"Oof!"
Thanks to that, he rolled on the floor.
As he was suffering, Mok Gyeong-un crouched down and said,
"There were a few things my grandfather told me not to do. One of them is this. Not only have I developed a resistance from eating many poisonous herbs, but he said my blood also carries toxicity."
"What?"
"A dog I raised accidentally licked my blood and had a seizure. It was vomiting blood and going crazy."
"You… you…"
The twisting pain prevented him from speaking.
Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un giggled and looked at him.
Swish!
As he was suffering, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his chin and lifted it up.
Then, he spoke as if admonishing,
"It's okay. Grandfather told me how to treat it, and it improved."
"Aaaaargh!"
Go Chan clutched Mok Gyeong-un's knees.
Unable to speak, he looked at him imploringly.
Then, Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and said,
"From now on, I believe you'll help me a lot."