Chapter 190: Jaseung, Asks

Water and Rain were running along a forest path.

Since they could not use their inner Qi, they ran at the speed of ordinary people.

“Hurry, this way.”

Water pushed through the forest trail with practiced ease. She was not running at random. She knew exactly where they had to go.

“If we get caught, we will really die. A formation that makes one lose their way is already activated, but if it is him, he will break it in no time.”

The two of them slid down a slope along the mountainside. Rain had not fully recovered from his injuries, so moving was difficult, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

A small cave was hidden at the bottom of the slope.

“This way.”

Water led Rain into the cave.

At the back of the cave there was a hole just large enough for an adult to pass through while sitting, and in front of it there was a small log boat. It was a hollowed log, carved so that two people could sit front and back.

“Get in.”

Water sat in front and Rain sat in back. Even in that desperate moment, Rain thought that her back was very small. He realized for the first time that he had never really looked closely at her back.

“Hold on tight!”

Water cut the rope that held the boat in place.

The log boat slid into the slanted hole and began to descend.

“Hold on tight.”

Swooooosh.

The boat shot down at a terrifying speed. How long did they slide through the long, winding tunnel?

Splash.

The boat came out into a river. The current there was extremely fast. The log boat carrying the two of them rode the torrent downstream at high speed.

“Whew.”

Water let out a sigh of relief.

“No matter how great he is, I doubt he can chase us this far.”

“What in the world is all this?”

Rain finally let out the question he had been holding back.

“As you can see, it is an escape route. I never thought the one who would make us use it would be the Leader of the Black Way Alliance though.”

In other words, it was something she had prepared in case she ever ended up being hunted by her own organization.

“You!”

He had always thought she was different from the other experts in the organization. Now that he saw this escape route, he felt that calling her different was not enough.

“Senior does not have anything like this?”

“No.”

“You only live once you know.”

“If I had wanted to cherish my life, I should not have joined this organization in the first place.”

“Haha, that is true.”

Water laughed brightly. Usually she did nothing but stir up his emotions. After going through this crisis, however, Rain felt deeply moved by her.

He had never imagined she would go this far for his sake. She really was impossible to understand.

Hiding those thoughts, Rain asked a question.

“Where are we going? Are we going to see Mountain?”

At that, the smile faded from Water’s face.

“Do you really think Mountain can protect us? If we go to him, the Leader of the Black Way Alliance kills us. Even if he lets us live, he will destroy our Dantians.”

For a martial artist of Jianghu, having one’s Dantian destroyed was as painful as dying.

“Then where do we go?”

Water’s eyes grew deep.

“To someone who can face that man.”

“Who?”

“You will know when we get there.”

The boat carrying the two of them sliced quickly through the current.

* * *

“The Alliance Leader says he will stop by somewhere else before coming back.”

At Dan Woobin’s report, a hint of disappointment crossed Baek Seolyoung’s face. However, she soon smiled and spoke.

“It looks like he wants to go have fun somewhere without me huh.”

Dan Woobin played along with her joke.

“Then the Great Lady should take this chance and go have fun too.”

Baek Seolyoung smiled as she answered.

“My husband likes to play, so at the very least I should stay and guard the Murim Alliance.”

“Hahaha.”

Dan Woobin laughed heartily. It felt good to exchange relaxed jokes like this with Baek Seolyoung. Although the Black Way Alliance had suffered heavy damage, they had avoided the worst case.

When he heard that Songhwa was safe, he had been so worried that he felt oddly dazed instead.

The tears came only that night, when he washed his face before going to bed. The thought that she had survived suddenly surged up and emotion overwhelmed him, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He cried for quite some time that night.

“Oh, there is actually one more thing I need to report.”

“What is it?”

“The Demonic Cult Leader’s disciple, Yeo Su-in, has arrived.”

“Already?”

“Yes. He came in secretly, and by sheer luck he ended up staying at an inn operated by our Alliance.”

If not for that, they would not have noticed his arrival. The Murim Alliance headquarters was in a place where hundreds of martial artists and merchants came and went every single day.

“Do you think he has some kind of plan?”

“We cannot know yet, but for now we have confused him with a fake.”

Baek Seolyoung had met the fake Lee Jaseung herself. At a glance, even she had been shocked at how identical he looked. The aura he gave off was impressive and even the depth in his eyes was similar.

Of course, she could tell he was fake. There was a difference that only a woman could recognize, even if no one else could.

“Then what do we do if he sends word in the meantime and suggests holding a meeting?”

“We delay it as much as possible.”

“Will he not become suspicious?”

“Yes, he will. However, if they stay together in the same room for a long time, there is a high chance he discovers he is a fake.”

They needed something that would draw the man’s attention elsewhere.

“In any case, do not worry. I will handle it properly.”

“Yes. I trust you.”

Baek Seolyoung gave him a bright smile.

Dan Woobin stepped outside. His expression was stiff. The truth was that, despite joking, smiling, and playing at being relaxed with Baek Seolyoung, Dan Woobin was more tense than he had ever been.

When Lee Jaseung was away, especially at times like this, they had to be careful. The recent raid on their main base had also happened while Lee Jaseung was away. They could not repeat the same mistake.

He had already emphasized that point firmly to Mujin and Ma Young-gi, and the two of them were on high alert.

At the end of the corridor, Dan Woobin called out.

“Captain Mook, are you there?”

Mook Young appeared without a sound.

“What is the matter?”

“More than ever, I need you to be absolutely thorough in guarding our Lady.”

“Do not worry.”

Mook Young answered with a steady gaze.

“Thank you.”

Dan Woobin started walking again.

Lee Jaseung had run across a great distance without rest in order to protect his woman. Now it was his turn.

* * *

Water and Rain were climbing a cliff.

It was so steep and dangerous that they had to risk their lives.

Rain clenched his teeth. Blood flowed from his reopened wounds, but he did not care. He no longer wanted to be a burden to Water.

Perhaps she understood that. Water did not help him. She watched him climb on his own strength and followed behind him up the cliff.

They could not use their inner Qi, but both of them were still experts who had reached the Transcendent Peak Realm. They did not make the mistake of slipping off the cliff.

After a struggle that felt like a life and death battle and lasted for several hours, the two of them finally reached the top.

There, a small tent made of animal hide stood alone.

Rain realized that this was the place Water had wanted to reach.

‘Is someone inside that tent actually skilled enough to face Lee Jaseung? Who in the world could it be?’

There was a presence inside the tent.

Water spoke quietly in front of it.

“I am here.”

The tent flap opened and a man stepped out.

He wore clothes made from tiger hide and it was clear that he had lived here for a long time. The aura that flowed from him was not ordinary. Rain felt that this man really might be able to face Lee Jaseung.

“It has been a long time.”

The man’s tone was calm.

Water’s eyes trembled as she looked at him.

“Brother.”

At the word “Brother,” Rain flinched in surprise. He had never heard that she had an older brother.

Looking closely, he could tell that the man resembled Water. There was no doubt he was her blood brother.

“Who is he?”

“This is my senior, Rain.”

The man asked again.

“Who is he?”

Rain was taken aback. Thinking that the man meant for him to answer directly, he spoke quickly.

“I am someone who works with Water.”

“I was not asking you.”

“What?”

At that moment, he felt a presence behind them.

Water and Rain both turned around in shock. Lee Jaseung stood at the edge of the cliff.

Water cried out in surprise.

“How did you get here?”

Remembering the escape route they had taken, she knew there was no way anyone could have pursued them. She had also checked several times to see if anyone was tracking them.

“I put Ten Thousand Li Pursuit Incense on your body.”

Water made an expression of sudden realization. She had never considered that possibility. Since she had already been captured by Lee Jaseung and even had her inner Qi sealed, she had thought there was no reason for him to bother putting tracking incense on them.

On top of that, they had fled in such extreme haste that she had not had the leisure to think that far.

“Then you let us escape on purpose?”

Lee Jaseung nodded.

“I felt the energy of a formation inside the house.”

“That is impossible!”

It was a formation completely undetectable from the outside. It did not contain killing intent or function as an offensive formation. It simply made intruders lose their way, so it did not reveal any noticeable energy.

In any case, the important thing now was not how Lee Jaseung had seen through it.

“Why did you do it?”

“Because I knew you would not go to Mountain. You would know that he cannot protect you, and you would also know that I would destroy your Dantians.”

Water could neither admire Lee Jaseung’s reasoning nor feel moved that he had evaluated her so highly. He really had a special talent for making people feel dazed.

“…What in the world are you?”

“You underestimated me. Did you really think I went with you just to find out where Mountain is? I left the main base of the Black Way Alliance empty, which caused this chaos. Now I am even leaving the Murim Alliance headquarters empty.”

The more he said, the less Water understood.

“Then why did you go around with us? And if you knew I would escape, why did you bother to put tracking incense on me… Gasp! You don’t mean?”

She slowly turned to look at the man behind her.

This time, the man nodded.

“Yes. He came looking for me.”

Water asked in shock.

“He came for you, Brother?”

The man silently nodded again.

“Now I remember. You said you would take the Black Way Alliance. yes?”

Water gasped and looked between the two of them.

“You two already knew each other?”

Lee Jaseung looked at Water as he spoke.

“When I first saw you, your face seemed familiar. In the end I remembered why. It was not you who were familiar, it was that you reminded me of your brother.”

Lee Jaseung and the man stared at each other with strange expressions. There was no goodwill in their eyes, but there was no hostility or hatred either.

“Why did you come looking for me?”

“I did not come for you. I came to ask about something you know.”

Lee Jaseung slowly opened his shirt. A scar shaped like lightning was revealed.

He asked the question that he had carried in his heart for a long time.

“The one who left this scar on me, where is he now?”

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