“Master, it’s a little underripe, but it’s edible. Please have some.”

Jongri Hong stared blankly at the underripe fruit that was suddenly offered to him.

A young man whose clothes were torn here and there, and whose face was full of small wounds.

He was a swordsman of the Tae-eul Hall, who was taciturn and only carried out his assigned tasks.

A martial arts group of Jongnam that had cut ties with the secular world and devoted their entire lives to the sword and the Tao.

Martial artists who moved strictly according to the orders that came down from above. The powerful sword of Jongnam that was most revered by the world.

Seeing all three of the Tae-eul swordsmen he had brought with him looking so disheveled, Jongri Hong let out a sigh without realizing it.

“It’s fine. Give it to that child. She must be hungry.”

“She fell asleep for a moment.”

“She fell asleep? Hah… what a strange child. To think that she’s not affected at all by this atmosphere and pressure.”

Jongri Hong’s gaze turned to one side. A girl sleeping soundly in the arms of a Tae-eul swordsman.

Although it was said that a sleeping child looked like an angel, Jongri Hong thought that the old saying was truly accurate at this moment.

“She is a truly strange child. She doesn’t cry, she doesn’t grieve, she just seems to be having fun.”

“Because she is not an ordinary girl…”

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“Rather… how about telling the Yugeom Emperor the truth?”

Considering the discipline of the Tae-eul Hall, which did not even question the orders given from above, the young man’s cautious suggestion was quite surprising.

Jongri Hong smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“If it were you, if you could cure your precious daughter with a one-third probability, what would you do?”

“One-third… wouldn’t you naturally try to cure her?”

“Even if there’s a two-thirds probability that she might lose her life?”

“…”

The Tae-eul swordsman closed his mouth. He clearly saw a flash of regret and anguish in his eyes.

Considering the characteristics of the Tae-eul swordsmen, who only did what they were told without emotion, it was difficult for him to accept the current situation.

‘If I had brought Jeonhyeon, he would have rebelled.’

Very violently.

But for Jongri Hong, there was no choice.

Jongri Hong pondered how things had come to this.

‘I was too hasty.’

Was it because he was excited? His handling of the matter was too hasty.

He should have moved a little more calmly…

‘The Five Sacred Objects.’

To the world, they were the Five Sacred Objects of the Complete Truth, and to those who knew the secret story in detail, they were the five sacred objects of the entire Central Plains.

And those who were closer to the truer truth knew.

‘The divine maiden who has been offering rites to the Supreme Emperor for generations with the four sacred objects.’

In total, they were called the five sacred objects.

That was right.

In the first place, the goal was not a serious crime like kidnapping. After watching for a long time, he had captured the fact that the Yugeom Emperor’s daughter was born as a divine maiden.

A being born with an immortal energy that was difficult for a person to handle from birth.

If the Complete Truth Sect had been in its prime, she would probably have become a divine maiden and presided over the rites.

But the Complete Truth Sect had disappeared from the world. The rites offered to the heavens and the Supreme Emperor were different for each Taoist sect, and the divine maiden was forgotten.

“If she is left alone, she has no choice but to die.”

A bitterness lingered in Jongri Hong’s voice.

A divine maiden could only live by existing as a divine maiden.

She could only live by constantly consuming the immortal energy imprinted on her body from birth through rites.

“To an ordinary person, immortal energy is truly a poison. In the first place, immortal energy resides in the spirit. How can a mere child’s body endure a spirit that contains immortal energy?”

Jongri Hong had not even thought of forcibly making this child a divine maiden. Because there was not even a document left on what kind of training one had to undergo to become a divine maiden. So he had thought of another way.

Although it was not one of the Five Sacred Objects of Jongnam, he had brought an object that was treated as a sacred object.

He had planned to take out the girl’s immortal energy and put it in the sacred object, making it one of the Five Sacred Objects, and then slowly let the girl recover. It was sufficiently possible. Jongri Hong had also made thorough preparations and had approached the Yugeom Mountain Manor.

‘How can such a power reside in a person’s body?’

The sacred object he had brought from Jongnam could not endure and had shattered into pieces.

‘I need a bigger vessel.’

But if it were such a vessel, even Jongri Hong could not take it outside. Moreover, weren’t the ones who managed them the real Taoists who were relatively far from martial arts?

Jongri Hong had rather expressed his intention to take the girl to Jongnam.

But the Yugeom Emperor had shown a somewhat suspicious look. It was difficult to completely avoid the sharp eyes of the Yugeom Emperor, who was at a similar level.

The Yugeom Emperor had refused further treatment. Just then, the Sword Empress had said she would take the child, so Jongri Hong had also become anxious.

The Sword Empress of the Putuo Sect.

The Putuo Sect was extremely reclusive. The Zhoushan Archipelago, which could only be reached by taking a boat from Zhejiang Province, a remote area of the Central Plains.

For Jongri Hong, if the Putuo Sect took the child, it would be difficult to approach her ever again. So he had made a decision.

“I will take the child to Jongnam, treat her, and then send her back to the Yugeom Mountain Manor.”

In the first place, when he had introduced himself to the Yugeom Emperor, he had said he was a doctor, so if he suddenly said he was from the Jongnam Sect, wouldn’t that also arouse suspicion?

Having no choice, Jongri Hong had justified it as an unavoidable choice and had brought the girl out.

The problem was that the influence and hegemony that the Yugeom Emperor had in Zhejiang Province was beyond imagination.

The Tae-eul swordsman said bitterly.

“I feel like I’ve become a public enemy of the martial world.”

“To them, we would be no different from a public enemy. Because we have kidnapped the child.”

Jongri Hong sighed deeply.

The angelically sleeping child was imprinted on his retina.

Recalling the cute appearance of her calling him grandfather, Jongri Hong’s chest felt tight.

‘I must treat her. Otherwise, she will die before she turns fifteen.’

At first, he had only thought of taking out the child’s immortal energy.

But now it was different.

Because at some point, Jongri Hong had sincerely wanted to treat the girl.

It was then. An urgent report came in.

“Master. The pursuit team has reached the vicinity.”

“What? Already?”

Jongri Hong’s eyes widened. He had thought he had caught his breath for a while.

“We move immediately. If we just cross the mountain and enter Anhui Province, we can shake off the pursuit. Because our subordinate sects are there.”

If he just left Zhejiang Province, he could catch his breath.

If he just left.

Jongri Hong suppressed the anxiety that was rising from deep within him at some point.

* * *

Yong Seong-ak was astonished.

“There are traces here!”

Traces that were continuously being discovered.

The sluggish pursuit had suddenly begun to pick up speed.

He had searched with his eyes wide open, but could not find them. The traces that even the local guides who were familiar with the geography and those who were famous for their tracking could not find were being discovered one after another as if it were a lie.

The Yugeom Emperor shouted with an excited face.

“Search thoroughly! There will be more in the vicinity!”

In an instant, the atmosphere changed. The faces of the pursuit team became lively. Yong Seong-ak, feeling the hot heat that was circulating in the vanguard, was repeatedly amazed.

“Who on earth is that warrior?”

His trembling gaze landed on the front.

After finishing the recruitment of warriors, Yong Seong-ak, whose individual martial power was at the peak, had immediately joined the vanguard.

The pursuit had been sluggish for quite a long time. The vanguard had not been able to find a single trace for several days and had not been able to move much.

But now it was different.

“Who on earth is that young warrior?”

“Hah. Is he good at spotting things, or does he have a good intuition? His martial arts are amazing for his age, but it’s not like there aren’t any warriors of that level here, right?”

“What’s the problem? Thanks to that friend, we can see the way now. Let’s find him quickly. How much is the reward if we just find him?”

The surrounding warriors grinned and laughed.

“That friend, you said you brought him, right?”

At the heavy voice that came from behind at that time, Yong Seong-ak’s back straightened.

It was none other than the Yugeom Emperor.

“Y-yes. That’s right, Manor Lord.”

“You have brought an excellent tracker. Thanks to him, we can see the way. After I find my daughter and kill the villain, I will give him an appropriate reward.”

“Th-thank you.”

Yong Seong-ak was on the verge of fainting.

All he had done was just bring Cheon Mubaeck, who had come to the warrior recruitment.

To be praised directly by the great Yugeom Emperor!

It was understandable.

Cheon Mubaeck had discovered traces everywhere, and had broken through the mountain path without hesitation.

If they just moved as Cheon Mubaeck led, it would only be a matter of time before they found him.

But it was then.

“This is not the way!”

A warrior suddenly shouted.

The gazes of the crowd were focused on him all at once.

The pursuit team, which had been moving in the direction that Cheon Mubaeck had pointed, stopped in an instant.

“This is not the way. The villain is now showing signs of escaping to Anhui Province. But to think that he fled this way? This is not Anhui, but a remote area! It’s impossible to go to Anhui Province.”

The warrior stopped Cheon Mubaeck and spoke passionately. In fact, until Cheon Mubaeck had come, he was a warrior who was familiar with the local geography and was in charge of the pursuit.

Since his voice was so powerful, people watched quietly.

Cheon Mubaeck’s expression was calm.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s strange. I think the first trace we found is accurate enough, but the subsequent traces are somewhat strange. They’re somewhat artificial.”

“Artificial?”

“Yes. They’re artificial. As if someone had planned it. Moreover, the direction of the traces is strange. As I said before, this is not a normal escape route.”

At those words, the Yugeom Emperor’s face hardened.

The meaning of the word artificial.

“Are you saying that that young master is intentionally leading us down the wrong path?”

The warrior thought for a moment and then nodded his head with a determined face.

“That’s right.”

At that, the surrounding atmosphere became noisy. Although he had not been able to find any traces recently, he was a warrior who had successfully led the pursuit team this far.

The warrior looked at Cheon Mubaeck with a confident tone.

“You! No matter how I look at it, you’re suspicious! In fact, aren’t you on the same side as the villain? Aren’t you trying to lead us into a trap right now?”

At those words, a silence fell around them.

“Manor Lord, we must divide the numbers and pursue. If we just follow where this guy leads, there will be a problem. No matter how I look at it, I’m suspicious of this guy!”

The warrior’s eyes turned red. Someone let out a groan.

“I will pursue in this direction! I can’t trust this novice!”

The warrior who said so was very excited. Until Cheon Mubaeck had appeared, he had been in charge of the pursuit team. If things went well, he had been dreaming that he might be able to receive martial arts teachings from the Yugeom Emperor.

‘But that guy is taking my credit!’

But as everyone’s attention and praise were focused on Cheon Mubaeck, his influence in the pursuit team had disappeared like the wind. No one believed his words or followed them.

‘And that guy, he’s strange. How can traces that I couldn’t find no matter how much I looked suddenly appear?’

It was not that there was no jealousy and envy. That was right. But if it were just a simple envy, the warrior would have endured it. But this was something strange.

“You, you’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

Cheon Mubaeck’s calm voice flowed out.

“What if I’m right?”

“You’re right? You’re looking down on me too much. I was born here and have been running around here for thirty years. I know the mountain paths better than the mountain beasts! If you’re right, I’ll step down from here. Instead, if I’m right in leading, you will have to be arrested with the villains and pay for your crime!”

The warrior said confidently. It was then.

“It’s the villain! The villain is hiding there!”

At the shout that came from the front, everyone’s gaze was focused on him all at once.

It was the direction that Cheon Mubaeck had pointed.

At that, the warrior who had been speaking confidently’s face turned pale.

“N-no, that, that can’t be…”

“That’s enough. Just step down.”

Cheon Mubaeck said so coldly and then immediately turned his body.

The warrior shouted with a pale face.

“Th-that can’t be! That way, it’s a path that can never be an escape route…”

“That’s enough.”

“M-manor Lord.”

The Yugeom Emperor waved his hand with a cold face. Seeing that cold expression, the warrior closed his eyes tightly.

‘I was wrong!’

“I am grateful for the credit you have given in leading the pursuit team this far. I will pay you a reward that is not disappointing.”

At the clear order to leave, the warrior lowered his head.

The Yugeom Emperor, who had settled the situation in one go, turned his body and flew to the place where the villain had been discovered.

It was exactly the same direction that Cheon Mubaeck had pointed.

Yong Seong-ak, who had been watching from afar, was repeatedly amazed.

‘Amazing. That warrior is a person who would be sad if he were second in tracking, to the extent of leading the pursuit team this far. But he saw through what even a person like that could not find out!’

Now he could not just be seen as a young and strong warrior. Yong Seong-ak looked at Cheon Mubaeck with a gaze full of awe.

‘Huh? But where is that middle-aged man who was with him?’

Neung-heo, who had been faithfully sticking by his side like a guard, was not seen.

Wondering if he had fallen behind during the pursuit, Yong Seong-ak decided to approach Cheon Mubaeck and ask.

“Uh, Young Master…”

“…Damn, you’re really good at spotting things. You’re a guy with real skill, aren’t you?”

“…Young Master?”

“Ah, what is it, Warrior Yong.”

Cheon Mubaeck turned his head with a calm expression.

Yong Seong-ak’s expression became strange.

“I think you said something just now?”

“Ah, it was just a thought to myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“…I understand. Where is the person who was with you? If he has fallen behind, I will go and find him.”

“Ah, don’t worry about that either. He’s already gone ahead and is tracking.”

“He’s gone ahead?”

“Well, let’s move too.”

Cheon Mubaeck dismissed the conversation as if he would not have any more, and turned his body.

“…”

Yong Seong-ak, for some reason, his gaze went to the warrior who was standing with his head lowered in disappointment.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep