"Jeombak, prepare to go out."
"Pardon?"
"I need to go to this dicinal herb rchant."
"Y-Young Master, at this ti of night..."
Jeombak trailed off as he saw Cheon Mubaeck's serious expression.
He already knew, but his young master was very stubborn.
Well, that's why he hadn't let go of his instrunts and paintings for 16 years despite all the nagging.
Lately, that stubbornness seed to have gotten stronger.
Jeombak realized that he couldn't stop Cheon Mubaeck from going out now.
"Then, I'll quickly bring an escort warrior to accompany you."
"An escort?"
"If the Vice Chief finds out now, she'll definitely stop you from going out. Going out at this hour. So you're planning to sneak out, aren't you?"
Cheon Mubaeck's expression wrinkled.
It seed that Cheon Yuhwa, who still treated Cheon Mubaeck as a youngest child to be held in her arms, would not easily allow him to go out this evening.
Even if she did, the reason was a little insufficient. To suddenly say he was going to visit because there was poison in the dicinal herbs. Such a thing should be entrusted to the escort warriors.
But Cheon Mubaeck felt the need to go himself.
It wasn't an ordinary poisonous herb.
'A guy who makes sothing like this.'
In the martial world, there are often tis when sothing that seems like nothing has a secret hidden within it.
This poisonous herb was the sa. At least, if what was in Cheon Mubaeck's head was correct, Cheon Mubaeck was convinced.
That there was sothing behind this poisonous herb.
So in the end, he had to sneak out...
"If you go with an escort, you'll have an excuse even if you get caught later, won't you?"
Cheon Mubaeck looked at Jeombak with a new look.
He's quite smart.
"Jeombak, shouldn't you normally follow my sister's or father's words more?"
"The benefactor who treated my ankle is the Young Master. Of course, the Chief and Vice Chief are also my benefactors who took in, but..."
Jeombak's face showed an expression that said he would follow him even to hell.
Cheon Mubaeck laughed inwardly.
Isn't he just like his last disciple who followed him?
Cheon Mubaeck slowly nodded.
"I'm just going to check briefly, so one escort is enough."
"Yes. Young Master."
After sending Jeombak out, Cheon Mubaeck imdiately got dressed. Jeombak, who no longer limped, moved very quickly. As soon as Cheon Mubaeck had changed into his martial arts uniform and finished preparing to go out, Jeombak ca back, sweating profusely.
"Young Master, I've brought Leader Heo."
"Leader Heo? Why a leader of all people..."
Cheon Mubaeck clicked his tongue and left the room.
* * *
Heo Seong.
Heo Seong, the leader of the Azure Moon Faction of the Azure Star Escort Agency, had stepped forward himself when Jeombak was urgently looking for an escort warrior to take charge of Cheon Mubaeck's escort.
First of all, the escort warriors under his command were tired after finishing their training, and the ones who were fine were in charge of security at the nearby Hwang family's residence, so he was the only one available.
Of course, this was the superficial reason, and his real intention for stepping forward was to observe Cheon Mubaeck up close.
'The Chief Instructor's expression was not ordinary.'
There were also rumors that Cheon Mubaeck had quite a talent for martial arts.
It was hard to believe.
Heo Seong had also been in the Azure Star Escort Agency for a long ti and knew what kind of person Cheon Mubaeck was.
'That weak and immature brat has talent?'
In fact, hadn't he scoffed at it?
But the Cheon Mubaeck he saw in person looked so different that he wondered if he was the sa Cheon Mubaeck who had been cooped up in his room a month ago.
Where had his slender limbs gone? A faint outline was caught beyond the rather sturdy clothes of muscle.
Was that all? His face was slightly flushed and full of life, and a clear energy flowed from his two eyes that was hard to look at.
A change in just one month.
'If he's changed this much, it ans he really has a talent for using his body, right? Is that all? If he can endure Chief Instructor Jang's training, it ans his patience is also strong.'
Heo Seong's pupils sparkled.
"What are you looking at so much?"
As it happened, Cheon Mubaeck was not in a good mood, so a blunt voice ca out.
He could have been offended, but Heo Seong just smiled lightly.
"It's nothing. Young Master. A sudden outing. Are you perhaps trying to get the next volu of the book you saw last ti?"
"A book?"
"Why, when you sent Jeombak on an errand last ti, I recomnded a fun one among the military tales circulating in the market. The Comprehensive Guide to dicine."
Cheon Mubaeck's face contorted.
Such a vain and absurd military tale.
To Cheon Mubaeck, who had road the martial world for hundreds of years, the stories of the military tales were all clumsy.
Co to think of it, there were many clumsy military novels with titles like The Comprehensive Guide to dicine in his room. He would have to get rid of them all when he got back.
"I'm not going to the bookstore."
"Aha, then are you going to the instrunt store? The instrunt store should be closed at this hour."
"No, let's go to the dicinal herb rchant."
"The dicinal herb rchant?"
"Let's go before it closes. It's late."
Cheon Mubaeck, with Jeombak in the lead, walked briskly.
Heo Seong tilted his head and followed him.
* * *
"Hmm. Is this place usually this famous?"
"It's a place that supplies not only our Azure Star Escort Agency but also the governnt office."
"Really?"
"Still... seeing so many people gathered like this, it seems to be because of the recent rumors about the plague."
"The plague."
Cheon Mubaeck nodded at Jeombak's words.
The dicinal herb rchant, which was quite large, was a three-story building that was hard to see in the vicinity.
At a glance, the building seed to be full of people, and there were also a lot of people outside. There seed to be a considerable number of servants from so influential families.
To think that a poisonous herb ca from a place like this.
'It slls. It slls.'
A very foul sll.
Cheon Mubaeck, with Jeombak in the lead, entered the dicinal herb rchant.
As he entered the dicinal herb rchant, the owner, who saw Cheon Mubaeck, was startled and ca out.
The owner looked a little naive because of his slightly drooping eyes.
But since he ran such a large dicinal herb rchant, he couldn't be a naive person.
"Oh my, isn't it Young Master Cheon of the Azure Star Escort Agency? What brings you here? Physician Jin bought so dicinal herbs himself a few hours ago..."
"Right. I ca because I have sothing to check about those dicinal herbs."
"The dicinal herbs?"
The owner's expression as he tilted his head and responded nonchalantly.
To others, there was nothing unusual.
In fact, even Jeombak and Heo Seong did not feel anything unusual.
But a smile slowly blood on Cheon Mubaeck's lips.
'Look at this bastard?'
The mont he said he ca because of the dicinal herbs, the owner's pupils shook for a mont. Beyond that, he felt a sinister energy. Only Cheon Mubaeck did not miss that brief change.
Cheon Mubaeck nonchalantly sat down in a chair. The owner sat opposite him with a slightly dazed look.
"There are a lot of people."
At Cheon Mubaeck's words as he looked around, the owner said with a grin. It was a naive expression that anyone could see.
"There are so ominous rumors going around these days."
"Ominous rumors?"
"Yes, yes. A rumor has spread that a patient from the plague that started in Shaanxi Province was recently found in Lingbao County."
Lingbao County was in the western part of Henan Province.
It was adjacent to Shaanxi Province.
"The plague. So a lot of people have gathered here?"
"Sigh. I'm dying. There are many people looking for dicinal herbs to strengthen their bodies. Isn't this place the best in Wonyang County anyway? Haha! Don't worry, Young Master. The dicinal herbs of my dicinal herb rchant will even ward off the plague!"
Cheon Mubaeck stared at the owner.
In fact, there was nothing better than silence when setting the mood.
As Cheon Mubaeck stared at him without saying a word, the dicinal herb rchant owner, who finally felt that the atmosphere had beco strange, wiped his smile away.
He had a reluctant face.
"Young Master? What's wrong?"
"That can't be."
Cheon Mubaeck smiled brightly. Then he pointed at the table with his finger.
"Pardon?"
"This is the source, isn't it?"
"The source...?"
"The source of the plague. A foul and rank sll is wafting from here, isn't it?"
At that mont.
A sinister light flashed once again in the dicinal herb rchant owner's pupils.
* * *
"Haha... ha. Young Master, I have no idea what you're talking about."
But this ti, even before Cheon Mubaeck could step forward, Heo Seong moved first.
He quickly took his place next to Cheon Mubaeck and placed his hand on his scabbard.
This ti, not only Cheon Mubaeck but also Heo Seong had clearly seen the change in the dicinal herb rchant owner.
'Killing intent?'
A killing intent mixed with bewildernt and a sinister light.
This ti it was so blatant that not only Cheon Mubaeck but also Heo Seong noticed it.
A silence that seed about to explode at any mont descended.
In the midst of it, Cheon Mubaeck smiled leisurely and tapped the table.
"A guest has co, isn't it common courtesy to serve tea?"
"..."
An endlessly leisurely expression.
The dicinal herb rchant owner bit his lip and gestured.
One of the employees nearby went down to the second floor to prepare tea with a sowhat awkward gesture.
An uncomfortable silence continued.
Heo Seong took a stance so that he could draw his sword at any ti.
He also didn't know what was going on, but he instinctively felt that the dicinal herb rchant owner in front of him was not an ordinary person.
'What on earth is going on?'
And what about Cheon Mubaeck?
He's saying strange things like the source of the plague, and seeing the dicinal herb rchant owner reveal his killing intent, he must know sothing.
But isn't it too dangerous?
He's just now training his body to be human-like, so could it be that he's fallen into so delusion after reading a military tale?
Heo Seong planned to cut down the dicinal herb rchant owner here and escape with Cheon Mubaeck if necessary.
'I'll cut down the bastard right away and carry the Young Master out. If the bastard has a hidden move, I can't be sure about the employees here either.'
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
As the leader of the Azure Moon Faction, which was in charge of protecting important people and security, he prioritized Cheon Mubaeck's safety.
'He's secretly sending the custors out. Right. Two at the main gate. One on the second floor. Three on the first floor. Two on the third floor. Hmm.'
He didn't know if they were just thugs or if they had internal energy.
If they were thugs, he could get out without any trouble, but...
'If necessary, I'll have to save only the Young Master.'
He glanced at Jeombak with a sowhat apologetic look.
He was a guy who was good at various things, so even though he was just a body servant, everyone thought well of Jeombak. Heo Seong was the sa.
But to get out with the crippled Jeombak's body...
'Huh? Crippled?'
Co to think of it, did he limp on the way here?
In the midst of his thoughts.
The employee with an awkward expression who had gone to get tea approached with a teacup.
It was then.
"...!"
The employee who brought the tea spilled it. In an instant, Heo Seong's hand moved reflexively.
A pure white dagger hidden under the teacup.
The mont that dagger was aid at Cheon Mubaeck's throat, the sword drawn from Heo Seong's scabbard cleanly cut off the employee's wrist at the sa ti as it was drawn.
Heo Seong barely took a surprised breath.
But that was just a trap.
'Oops!'
The real one was the dicinal herb rchant owner who was sitting opposite Cheon Mubaeck.
The dicinal herb rchant owner took out a dagger the size of his wrist from his bosom, stood up abruptly, and thrust it.
'It's too late!'
Before he could retrieve the sword he had extended to cut off the employee's wrist, the knife would be stuck in Cheon Mubaeck's chest!
Heo Seong's vision went dark.
It was then.
Cheon Mubaeck stood up and kicked the table up with his knee.
Puk!
The dagger that the dicinal herb rchant owner had thrust with all his might was blocked by the wooden table.
At the sa ti, Cheon Mubaean reached out his hand over the overturned table.
"...!"
"Where do you think you're pulling this crap, you bastard."
Cheon Mubaeck's lips twisted as he grabbed his hair.
(End of Chapter)
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