Chapter 301 |
The Unknown Figure
“Should we pursue?”
Mu-jin sent a telepathic message to Hyun-hyeon Dae-sa, given the silence surrounding them.
Hyun-hyeon, sensing the same presence as Mu-jin, nodded and signaled to the others.
The group, maintaining a cautious distance, began to move carefully, prepared for any situation.
Naturally, their cautious pursuit of the individual using martial arts to travel swiftly increased the distance between them.
Though this distance made the chase more challenging, Mu-jin remained vigilant.
“As expected!”
Following the presence they sensed, more new presences began to appear around them, all converging in the same direction.
“Wouldn’t that risk being detected?”
“With fifty of us moving together, it’s difficult to hide our presence anyway. And considering we’re all heading in the same direction, they might assume we’re allies.”
Observing the converging figures from different locations, it seemed they had spread out to form a network and were now gathering at a single point.
The darkness of the night forest further facilitated this potential misconception.
Deeming Mu-jin’s suggestion reasonable, Hyun-hyeon nodded and issued instructions via telepathic message.
With a burst of speed, they identified the direction of the presences and increased their pace.
Due to the converging paths, they soon sensed a presence nearby after some travel.
“What should we do?”
“Changing direction here would arouse more suspicion. If the enemy is from the Demonic Cult, perhaps we should take this chance to deal with them.”
Sharing the same thought, Hyun-hyeon signaled for battle preparations.
Moments later, those approaching from the side emerged from the darkness and foliage, close enough to reveal their faces.
“!!!”
The group dressed in black showed momentary shock and surprise.
They hadn’t anticipated encountering people dressed in the robes of Shaolin and Wudang here.
Unlike their adversaries, Mu-jin and his party were ready for combat.
With a swift move, Mu-jin closed the distance and launched an attack, starting the battle against the Demonic Cult warriors.
Despite the enemy’s small numbers and the surprise attack advantage, the fight didn’t last long.
The noise from the battle likely alerted other enemies to their presence.
“Mu-yul.”
Mu-yul nodded in response to Mu-jin’s telepathic message.
As they neared their destination, a faint scent of blood wafted through the air, accompanied by the soft sounds of groans and clashing weapons.
Mu-yul, along with Ling-ling, charged toward the source of the sounds, followed by the group.
They encountered a few more Demonic Cult warriors along the way, but dispatched them without much difficulty.
As they got closer, Mu-jin also began to sense the sounds of clashing weapons and the smell of blood.
“Capture them!”
“We need to interrogate some of them, keep a few alive!”
With the sounds growing nearer, Mu-jin quickened his pace.
With a loud explosion, the ground burst apart, and Mu-jin’s body flew several meters forward.
In the process, he bulldozed through obstacles, smashing trees and rocks to take the shortest route.
Reaching the battlefield in no time, Mu-jin saw dozens of black-clad figures forming a siege, with more constantly arriving from all directions.
Trapped within the encirclement were familiar faces, bleeding from multiple wounds yet fighting fiercely.
“Red Tiger Group!”
Recognizing the faces from their previous encounter in Nanman, Mu-jin particularly noticed the Red Tiger Group leader and Dan Seo-yoon.
Dan Seo-yoon, who would have been Ou-yang Pae’s lover in another life, fought ferociously despite her injuries.
However, Ou-yang Pae was nowhere to be seen.
At that moment, some of the attackers turned toward the direction of the explosion.
“Who are they!”
In response to the shout aimed at him, Mu-jin retorted.
“Ask Yama in hell!”
By the time he finished speaking, Mu-jin was already clashing with the nearby Demonic Cult warriors, starting to crush them.
“Shaolin Dragon!”
“Cut down those vile hypocrites!”
Despite their initial shock, the enemies soon realized Mu-jin’s group belonged to Shaolin and Wudang due to their attire and martial arts.
Ignoring whether their identities were revealed, Mu-jin forcefully carved a path through the enemies.
The Red Tiger Group members, previously overwhelmed, noticed their movements becoming smoother.
It wasn’t because their skills had improved but because the enemies were disoriented, and fewer reinforcements were arriving.
It wasn’t hard to figure out why.
“Shaolin Dragon?”
The man they met months ago had returned.
“Now’s our chance! Break through!”
The Red Tiger Group leader, the first to recover, shouted urgently.
Initially, the Red Tiger Group had planned to sacrifice themselves to distract the enemies.
Sensing a chance for survival, they fought with renewed vigor.
“Haap!”
With Mu-jin joining and Shaolin and Wudang disciples supporting them, breaking through became easier.
Ignoring the axe aimed at his side, Mu-jin parried it with his Golden Fist technique and smashed the head of the axe-wielder.
Meanwhile, he sent a telepathic message.
“Is Ou-yang Pae safe?”
Dan Seo-yoon, deflecting an enemy’s attack, responded.
“He escaped to a prepared safe house.”
Having been raised more as a warrior than a woman, she spoke rather brusquely to those unfamiliar with Ou-yang Pae.
Relieved by her confirmation, Mu-jin felt reassured.
As expected, Ou-yang Pae was still safe.
Now, their remaining task was to escape this place.
“Damn, they just keep coming like ants.”
Though they had broken through the siege, the relentless flood of enemies showed no signs of stopping.
No matter how much Mujin had improved compared to the past, if the battle dragged on, his stamina and internal energy were bound to deplete.
‘If we run away together towards where Ou-yang Pae is now, we’ll end up drawing them to the hideout.’
If it were just a few people, they could erase their traces while moving, but the disciples of Shaolin and Wudang, along with the newly joined Red Tiger members, made up at least seventy people.
It was nearly impossible to hide traces with such a large number of people moving.
After a moment of deliberation, Mujin thought of a way through the traces he had discovered in the ruins.
– “Master of the outer hall, it would be better if we dispersed. Moving together will leave even bigger traces.”
In response to Mujin’s telepathic message, Hyun-hyeon, who was fighting with the Shaolin disciples at the rear, replied urgently.
– “Then, Mujin, you should come this way quickly!”
– “I will stay with these people. Since the leader of the defectors is hiding in the hideout, I need to make contact and understand the situation.”
– “Are you saying you’ll follow them to rejoin us?”
To Hyun-hyeon’s question, Mujin pointed somewhere.
– “I will take Muyul and Ling-Ling. With those two, finding the elders again shouldn’t be difficult.”
People have a unique body odor. While part of it is innate, it is also influenced by their living environment.
The Shaolin disciples had lived together in one place for decades, maintaining similar lifestyles.
If such people moved together, their unique scent would inevitably linger.
Humans could only detect this scent at close range, but Muyul and Ling-Ling would be able to track it sufficiently.
Understanding Mujin’s intention, Hyun-hyeon nodded, and Mujin sent a telepathic message to the Red Tiger Captain.
Bang!
Even in the midst of this, Mujin was breaking through the demonic cult warriors blocking the front, without a moment’s rest.
– “The disciples of Shaolin and Wudang will act as decoys. So, guide us to the hideout where Ou-yang Pae is hiding.”
– “All of you?”
– “I said they’ll act as decoys. Only one companion and I will head to the hideout, while the rest will stay and fight the demonic cult warriors before fleeing.”
At Mujin’s telepathic message, the Red Tiger Captain’s expression grew complicated for a moment.
Even when they met in Nanjing, he couldn’t understand why this disciple of the orthodox sect was helping them so diligently.
Although Ou-yang Pae had mentioned that he might create a relatively decent demonic cult, it was still strange to help them this much for that reason alone.
But given the desperate situation, there was no time for such concerns.
– “Then, my men and I will join in the decoy role. Your group isn’t familiar with the terrain and environment of the southern regions, so you might lose your lives pointlessly.”
– “Then who will guide us to the hideout?”
To Mujin’s question, the Red Tiger Captain pointed to Dan Seo-yoon.
“???”
Not understanding the conversation, Dan Seo-yoon looked puzzled, and the Red Tiger Captain briefly explained the situation via telepathic message.
– “Captain! Then I will join the decoy role.”
– “That’s an order! Lead the Shaolin Dragon and the comrades to the hideout where the young master is!”
In response to Dan Seo-yoon’s defiance, the Red Tiger Captain replied firmly.
All the Red Tiger members knew about the relationship between Dan Seo-yoon and Ou-yang Pae.
Given the urgent situation, she was reluctantly included in the decoy role, but now that there was a chance to survive, they couldn’t let their master’s woman take on such a role.
Of course, if they showed consideration for her just because she was the young master’s woman, she, with her strong pride as a warrior, would rebel even more. So, they treated her as a subordinate.
In the end, due to the Red Tiger Captain’s firm order, Dan Seo-yoon had no choice but to turn and lead five comrades.
– “Follow me!”
At her telepathic message, Mujin led Muyul and Ling-Ling to follow her.
The empty spots left by the departing group were filled by the Shaolin and Wudang disciples, along with the remaining Red Tiger members.
– “Sorry to the forest, but fight as fiercely as possible! We need to erase the traces!”
Following Hyun-hyeon’s instructions, they began to unleash their martial arts aggressively, scorching the surroundings.
The considerable noise generated in the process also served to attract the demonic cult warriors.
* * *
As Mujin, Muyul, and Ling-Ling began to move with Dan Seo-yoon and the six Red Tiger members, they slowed their pace after escaping the battlefield and proceeded cautiously.
Here, too, Muyul and Ling-Ling were very helpful.
“Ooki!”
Ling-Ling, with his exceptional sense of smell and hearing, could detect the approach of demonic cult warriors heading to the battlefield.
Each time, they adjusted their direction to avoid the approaching enemies, steadily erasing their traces as they moved.
After moving for a while, they reached a place dense with vegetation, free from the approach of the demonic cult warriors.
“From here, there is a formation set up, so follow closely.”
Dan Seo-yoon spoke bluntly as she twisted and turned through the area, with Mujin and Muyul following behind her.
Once they exited the formation, the dense vegetation that had been visible until just a moment ago disappeared instantly, revealing an unseen cave.
At the entrance of the cave stood Ou-yang Pae, supported by Geum Yang-hwi, his complexion pale.
It seemed he had come out sensing someone approaching the hideout.
Seeing his figure, Dan Seo-yoon quickly approached Ou-yang Pae.
“Young Master!”
“Captain Dan.”
Calling each other by their titles made them seem indifferent, but the affectionate gaze they exchanged was unmistakable.
“Your internal injuries must not have healed yet. Please go inside and rest, Young Master.”
“Heh heh heh. My mind is unsettled, so trying to heal my internal injuries with energy cultivation would be more dangerous.”
Their conversation, filled with concern for each other, made Mujin frown.
‘How can someone without a lover even live?’
Geum Yang-hwi, who was supporting Ou-yang Pae, felt like a mere background figure.
Well, Mujin, who had followed Dan Seo-yoon here, was also in the same boat.
Feeling uncomfortable about being a background figure, Mujin grumbled.
“Why are you always injured whenever we meet?”
After all, he’s supposed to be the protagonist.
Ou-yang Pae, who had been looking at Dan Seo-yoon with eyes full of affection, frowned and looked at Mujin in response to his remark.
“The last time I got injured, it was because of you!”
Ou-yang Pae felt wronged in many ways.