Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 162 – Proposition (2)

If one were to pick the most outstanding subordinate among the followers of the Society Leader’s third disciple, Wi So-yeon, it would undoubtedly be Woo Ho-rang, the chief disciple of Bright Blade King Son Yun and the leader of the Giant Watchtower Group.

His martial arts prowess was recognized by all, as he was included among the Five Tigers, known as the best late-stage Masters of the Heaven and Earth Society.

However, the person she confided in the most among her followers was Gi Ok-ryeon, a fellow woman.

Gi Ok-ryeon was the eldest daughter of Sun Rock Valley Master Gi Hae and Wi So-yeon’s closest friend and true right-hand woman.

-Swish!

Gi Ok-ryeon pulled out a needle from the back of Wi So-yeon, who had her upper body clothes pulled down, exposing half her back.

The sharp tip of the needle she pulled out had turned black.

“As I thought, there was still some poison remaining. But seeing only a part of the needle discolored, it seems the detoxification is almost complete. Young Lady, are you feeling better now?”

“Thanks to you.”

The Sun Rock Valley Master was skilled in medical arts, so Gi Ok-ryeon had also inherited that ability.

Thus, she had helped to quickly expel the remaining poisons left in Wi So-yeon’s body using acupuncture.

“The poison of the Elder Poison King must be truly formidable. In terms of internal energy alone, you should be no less than Elder Poison King, Young Lady.”

“Perhaps not anymore.”

“Ah… You’ve crossed the threshold.”

It was truly ironic.

On the day they visited, Poison King Baek Sa-ha had reached the Transformation Realm.

As a result, his importance had increased significantly.

If Poison King Baek Sa-ha, now a master of the Transformation Realm, supported them, it would be equivalent to gaining an army of thousands.

However, the key was how to bring him over to their side.

‘Mok Gyeong-un…’

It had become difficult to persuade Poison King Baek Sa-ha directly.

Therefore, currently, the only route to gain Baek Sa-ha’s support was through Mok Gyeong-un.

This was because Baek Sa-ha had accepted Mok Gyeong-un as his disciple.

As a result, Mok Gyeong-un’s value had risen tremendously.

Mok Gyeong-un was the joint disciple of Shadow Clan Master and Poison King, so if they could bring him under their wing, they would be able to draw in both Shadow Clan and Baek Clan.

They had to bring him in at all costs, but she was inwardly worried.

“I’m concerned that the Second Senior Brother might resort to underhanded means.”

“Second Young Master?”

“Yes.”

“…It’s because of that incident, isn’t it?”

“Right. Second Senior Brother’s anger seemed immense.”

“Even so, would he openly do something? It’s not like we were the ones responsible, as you said.”

“When the roots of suspicion run deep, one becomes blind to reason.”

“That may be true, but… Sigh. I don’t understand why this misfortune has befallen us. Why did such a thing suddenly happen, causing us to be suspected in this way…? Wait a moment… Young Lady, could this be a scheme to drive a wedge between us?”

Gi Ok-ryeon raised a question.

At her words, Wi So-yeon’s eyes narrowed.

That was because Wi Maeng-cheon, a trusted subordinate of Second Senior Brother Jang Neung-ak from the Five Evils Association, had been assassinated by someone the previous night.

This had greatly angered Second Senior Brother.

Although he was bedridden, their Master still had his eyes wide open, so until now, there had been no incidents of the three disciples crossing the line or clashing significantly.

However, that balance had now been shattered.

Given Second Senior Brother’s temperament, having lost a cherished subordinate, he would undoubtedly seek revenge in some way.

But the important thing here was that this was not their doing.

“Why do you think it’s a scheme to drive a wedge between us?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Due to Wi Maeng-cheon’s death, we are now under suspicion from Second Young Master. If this continues, we will inevitably clash.”

“So you think it’s a scheme to drive a wedge between us?”

“What else could it be?”

“If it is indeed such a scheme… whose doing do you think it is?”

In response to Wi So-yeon’s question, Gi Ok-ryeon answered with a confident voice.

“Isn’t it most likely the Eldest Young Master or his subordinates?”

“First Senior Brother?”

“Yes. They are the only ones who stand to benefit from this situation.”

“…”

At Gi Ok-ryeon’s words, Wi So-yeon rested her chin on her clasped hands.

If one only considered the circumstances, the probability of it being First Senior Brother, as she speculated, was indeed high.

After all, they were truly not responsible.

However,

“…Is it really First Senior Brother?”

“What?”

“It seems a bit different from First Senior Brother’s style.”

“Different, you say? If not the Eldest Young Master, there would be no reason for anyone else to do such a thing. It must be a ploy to make us and Second Young Master’s factions fight.”

Wi So-yeon shook her head slightly at Gi Ok-ryeon’s words.

Of course, there was some truth to her words.

This was because the reason Second Senior Brother suspected her instead of First Senior Brother for the death of his subordinate Wi Maeng-cheon, and the reason she found the situation itself suspicious, overlapped.

That reason was,

‘First Senior Brother… First Senior Brother doesn’t even consider us as rivals.’

If he had, he would have tried to keep them in check somehow in the past.

First Senior Brother was thorough, so if he considered someone an enemy, he would thoroughly crush them.

Yet, he had simply observed as if watching from the sidelines as they gathered supporters to become the successor.

He did not interfere at all.

Even though it could have made him uncomfortable.

‘If First Senior Brother had been determined to suppress us, he wouldn’t have left us alone like this until now.’

First Senior Brother Na Yul-ryang was somehow different from ordinary people.

Conversing with him made one feel inexplicably suffocated and even fearful.

That was why she had avoided meeting him since their Master had taken to his sickbed.

This would be the same for Second Senior Brother Jang Neung-ak.

Apart from their Master, the person he feared the most was none other than First Senior Brother.

At this, Wi So-yeon cautiously spoke.

“Perhaps an unexpected variable has emerged…”

-Startled!

At that moment, Wi So-yeon suddenly stopped speaking and looked somewhere.

Gi Ok-ryeon asked in puzzlement.

“Young Lady?”

“Something has happened outside.”

“Something?”

“Quickly remove the remaining needles.”

“Y-Yes.”

Gi Ok-ryeon hastily removed all the needles stuck in Wi So-yeon’s acupoints.

After swiftly putting on her top and adjusting her clothes, Wi So-yeon hurriedly opened the door and went outside.

Of course, Gi Ok-ryeon followed behind her.

Hearing the commotion from outside, Wi So-yeon, who had come out, couldn’t hide her surprise at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

‘!?’

-Thud! Crash!

Yang Il, the young sect leader of the Transient Sword Group, collapsed after being hit by Mok Gyeong-un’s kick in an instant.

Gi Ok-ryeon, who followed behind, was equally surprised.

Who was Yang Il?

In terms of martial arts, he was the second-ranked expert among Wi So-yeon’s subordinates, at the early stage of the Transcendent Realm.

Yet, he was taken out with a single strike?

‘Impossible.’

How could this happen?

Then, someone else caught Gi Ok-ryeon’s eye.

It was none other than,

‘S-Senior Brother Woo?’

Woo Ho-rang.

He was lying on the ground, covered in blood, as if he had been severely injured.

‘Why is Senior Brother Woo like this?’

Gi Ok-ryeon, who had secretly been in love with him for a long time, was startled by this sight and tried to run out immediately.

Wi So-yeon stopped her by extending her hand.

After holding back Gi Ok-ryeon, Wi So-yeon shouted in a loud voice.

“Stop!”

Wi So-yeon’s shout resonated far and wide.

At her shout, Mok Gyeong-un, who was gripping Yeop Wi-seon’s neck, turned his head.

“Ah. You’ve come out.”

“You… What is this rampage?”

In response to her question, Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“Rampage? I simply came because the Young Lady called for me, but these people tried to stop me.”

Mok Gyeong-un pointed with his eyes, first at Yang Il, who was unconscious on the ground, and then at Yeop Wi-seon, whose neck was grasped in his hand.

“Ack, ack.”

Yeop Wi-seon struggled with a distressed expression, his face turning red as if it would burst from the bulging veins.

Wi So-yeon pointed at him with her finger and said.

“Let go of that hand right now.”

“Ah. This?”

Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly and loosened his grip.

With that, Yeop Wi-seon fell to the ground with a thud, landing on his bottom.

Perhaps because his breathing had been obstructed by his neck being grabbed, Yeop Wi-seon coughed violently and tried to say something to Wi So-yeon.

“Cough, cough… Yo-Young… Cough… This runt…”

-Smack!

Mok Gyeong-un lightly struck the back of Yeop Wi-seon’s neck.

Perhaps due to the shock to his brain, Yeop Wi-seon toppled forward in that state and collapsed.

“What are you doing?!”

“Stop.”

As Gi Ok-ryeon tried to step forward, unable to contain her anger at the sight of her companions being treated in such a way, Wi So-yeon restrained her.

Then she spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.

“You’ll have to explain properly what exactly happened here. Otherwise, even if it’s you, I won’t be able to forgive you.”

At her words, Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head as if he were in a difficult position.

“This is quite troublesome. I simply came to see the Young Lady, but these two gentlemen insisted that they couldn’t let me meet you.”

“They stopped you?”

“Yes.”

“Why did they do that?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask. Even though it was their master who summoned me.”

“…”

Wi So-yeon’s eyes sharpened at the feeling that he was somehow pinching her.

While he had always been brazen in front of her, there was something strangely different from before.

It wasn’t simply being bold in front of a powerful figure, but truly stemming from self-confidence.

This made her question.

Undoubtedly, this man seemed to have made further progress in the meantime.

‘What is it?’

Wi So-yeon couldn’t hide her puzzlement.

Even when she saw him in the Corpse Blood Valley report, she had been greatly surprised by his significantly improved martial arts compared to before.

And now, his martial prowess had advanced again?

While she was finding his rapid progress strange, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“If you truly find it hard to believe, why don’t you wake them up and ask them?”

“…”

Seeing him go this far, it seemed clear that they had indeed tried to stop Mok Gyeong-un.

But the reason seemed to be that.

Wi So-yeon pointed at Woo Ho-rang, who was lying on the ground, with a nod of her head and said.

“Why is Woo Ho-rang in such a state?”

“This person? He fought with me.”

“What?”

At those words, Wi So-yeon furrowed her brows.

Fight, what did he mean?

“That can’t be. Woo Ho-rang received my order to bring you here. He wouldn’t fight you without my command.”

Moreover, Woo Ho-rang knew the importance of Mok Gyeong-un.

He would know better than anyone that the dynamics of this successor competition would change if they could obtain him, so why would he go to bring Mok Gyeong-un and end up fighting him?

It didn’t make sense.

Then, could it be,

“…Did you challenge Woo Ho-rang to a duel first?”

“There’s no way that would happen? This person cited two reasons and requested a sparring match with me.”

“Two reasons?”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“The first reason is difficult for me to disclose due to an agreement with him, and the second reason was that he had to take revenge because that junior brother of his was put in a difficult position because of me.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Gi Ok-ryeon shouted with a flushed face.

“Revenge? What nonsense! Why would Senior Brother Woo disobey the Young Lady’s orders and do such a thing to you…”

“Ok-ryeon. That’s enough.”

“Young Lady. But this fellow is now slandering Senior Brother Woo with lies…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Mok Gyeong-un interjected.

“If you truly can’t believe it, you can wake him up and ask him as well, can’t you?”

“What?”

“You said you couldn’t believe that this person initiated the fight, right?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Gi Ok-ryeon shouted defiantly.

“Do you know why I can’t believe your words? It doesn’t make sense for Senior Brother Woo, one of the Five Tigers, to lose to the likes of you…”

“Ok-ryeon!”

Wi So-yeon finally raised her voice.

Sensing that her mood had turned unpleasant, Gi Ok-ryeon trembled with a flushed face and soon closed her mouth.

“I apologize.”

“Calm down and step back. I know your heart well.”

Being the only one who knew that Gi Ok-ryeon had feelings for Woo Ho-rang, she patted her shoulder as if to comfort her and told her to step back.

Watching them, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head from side to side.

Seeing this, Wi So-yeon spoke in a cold voice.

“What is that attitude right now?”

“Attitude?”

“Your current attitude seems to be mocking me.”

“Hmm. Rather than that, it has made me more confident.”

“Confident?”

“Yes.”

“What have you become confident about?”

In response to Wi So-yeon’s question, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and said.

“I just thought you had no luck with subordinates, but it seems you also pamper your subordinates quite a bit, Young Lady.”

“How dare you!”

Gi Ok-ryeon, who thought he had insulted the Young Lady, raised her voice again.

At that moment,

-Swish!

‘!?’

Mok Gyeong-un’s figure dispersed like mist and disappeared.

At the same time, Wi So-yeon turned her body with a surprised expression and reached out her hand, but,

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

Before her hand could even touch, a dull sound rang out, and Gi Ok-ryeon’s eyes rolled back as her body toppled forward.

Behind the collapsing Gi Ok-ryeon, Mok Gyeong-un stood with his hand raised.

Clicking his tongue, Mok Gyeong-un spoke as if disappointed.

“Why do they all ignore what their master says, one after another?”

“You…”

“This is rather fortunate. I wanted to have a private conversation with you.”

Smiling brightly, Mok Gyeong-un looked at Wi So-yeon, who spoke with surprised eyes.

“…How do you know the Clear and Manifest Water Crossing Steps?”

The high-speed movement technique Mok Gyeong-un had just displayed.

If her eyes weren’t mistaken, it was the Clear and Manifest Water Crossing Steps, a unique movement technique of First Senior Brother Na Yul-ryang.