Chapter 303 |
Unknown Identity
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
Having heard all the details from Ou-yang Pae, Mu-jin stood up.
But for some reason, as Mu-jin was about to leave the cave, Ou-yang Pae stopped him.
“There’s no need for that. Why not hide and stay put until my internal injuries heal?”
“In the meantime, even if this place isn’t discovered, many of your scattered subordinates will likely be found and killed.”
Ou-yang Pae also knew this. Nonetheless, he had a different reason for stopping Mu-jin.
“……But, if you act like this, Shaolin will suffer significant damage. Why are you helping me this much?”
It was a question similar to what the Red Tiger Leader had felt.
As the leader of the traitors, Ou-yang Pae thought it was dangerous to owe Mu-jin and Shaolin a debt, which is why he asked.
To his question, Mu-jin just chuckled lightly.
Why was he helping Ou-yang Pae so diligently?
If the person Mu-jin was helping was Dao Yuetian, it might be because he was the ‘protagonist.’
But in Ou-yang Pae’s case, it was entirely different.
Mu-jin had read the first part of the novel, but he didn’t like it as much as the second part.
Mu-jin preferred hardworking protagonists over naturally gifted ones.
Moreover, after meeting him in person, that disgustingly handsome face made him even less affectionate.
Nevertheless, the reason he was helping so diligently was simple.
“You seem to be mistaken, but I’m not helping you. I’m targeting Shinchun. As the current leader of the Demonic Cult is Shinchun’s pawn, you need to be alive to eradicate the bugs of Shinchun rooted in the Demonic Cult.”
“……So, it’s a temporary alliance only until the Left and Right Protectors are driven out.”
Mu-jin nodded at Ou-yang Pae’s words and added,
“That’s why I plan to move separately. If we move together, rumors will spread within the Demonic Cult that you’ve allied with us. In the midst of driving out the Left and Right Protectors, if that happens, you’ll never be able to return to the Demonic Cult.”
At Mu-jin’s words, Ou-yang Pae cleared his throat awkwardly.
In fact, this was the biggest reason Ou-yang Pae was reluctant to accept Mu-jin’s help.
A traitor receiving help from the righteous faction.
If such a label stuck, he would never be able to return to the Demonic Cult and ascend to the position of the Heavenly Demon for any reason.
“Even with your presence here, such rumors are likely already spreading.”
“Covering one’s ears and stealing a bell (a futile attempt to hide) it may be, but isn’t it better than openly moving together? At least we can have some plausible deniability.”
Well, they had already gotten entangled while saving Dan Seo-yoon and the Red Tiger Leader, but from now on, they could at least argue it was a misunderstanding.
“So, Shaolin and Wudang only heard rumors that Demonic Cult members were moving and came to kill them. We’ll say that as we go around, so treat your internal injuries first before moving.”
As Mu-jin finished speaking and tried to leave again, Ou-yang Pae asked with an embarrassed expression.
“Ahem. By the way, you guys aren’t familiar with Namman. How do you plan to rejoin your group?”
At his question, Mu-jin pointed somewhere.
There lay Mu-yul, snoring and sleeping, bored by Mu-jin and Ou-yang Pae’s tedious conversation.
“He’s got an amazing nose. Or rather, a monkey nose.”
* * *
Waking up the snoring Mu-yul and Ling-ling, Mu-jin relied on their sense of smell to navigate Namman’s forest.
“Can we just find anyone?”
“Any place that smells like Shaolin people.”
“Got it!”
Watching Mu-yul and Ling-ling diligently sniffing out a path, Mu-jin chuckled.
Their appearances were always both reliable and comical.
Despite Mu-yul’s appearance, the two were moving to find those who had stayed behind as decoys.
To shake up the Demonic Cult in place of Ou-yang Pae and the traitors, they first needed to regroup.
“This way, the smell is strongest!”
How long had they been moving under Mu-yul’s guidance?
“Mu-jin, it sounds like there’s a fight.”
Mu-yul, with an urgent expression, said that and ran southwest.
Mu-jin also followed Mu-yul and Ling-ling, running for a while.
Clang!
A disturbing metallic sound pierced Mu-jin’s ears. Soon after, he began to hear someone’s voice and groans.
“I’ll go ahead! Follow me!”
Now that Mu-jin could also sense the presence of people, he overtook Mu-yul and sprinted.
Avoiding the thick foliage of Namman to minimize noise, it didn’t take long for Mu-jin to see the people fighting beyond the brush.
“Head of the External Affairs Department!”
There, the Head of the External Affairs Department, Master Hyun-hyeon, and the Red Tiger Leader.
And nearly ten disciples of Shaolin and Wudang were fighting against men in black.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the number of Demonic Cult members surrounding them wasn’t that large.
However, a few of those fighting seemed to be injured, moving sluggishly.
“Mu-jin!”
Just as Master Hyun-hyeon, who had also noticed Mu-jin, urgently called his name,
Mu-jin had already reached the Demonic Cult member forming the encirclement.
Crunch!
A gruesome sound emanated from the side of the Demonic Cult member’s body struck by Mu-jin’s fist, a sound that shouldn’t come from a human body.
As the Demonic Cult member, whose ribs and internal organs had been shattered, collapsed while vomiting blood,
Mu-jin retrieved his previously swung fist and lunged at another Demonic Cult member wielding a sword beside him.
“Don’t bully the elderly!”
At that moment, Mu-yul and Ling-ling also joined the fray, starting to swing their limbs.
“Hee-hee!”
“Oook!”
Despite the serious atmosphere of the battlefield, the two seemed almost to be mocking their opponents as they fought.
As a Demonic Cult member swung an axe, Mu-yul bent his knees and waist low to dodge the axe.
Thwack!
Using the momentum from straightening his bent knees and waist, Mu-yul headbutted the axe-wielding enemy in the abdomen.
“Hee-hee!”
Mu-yul laughed joyfully as his improvised technique worked.
He was mimicking the method Mangkr had used to attack Mu-jin in the past in Namman.
Crouching his body as much as he could, then springing forward like a coiled spring, Mu-yul mimicked the motion of a gigantic Imoogi.
“Ook! Ook! Oookie!”
Perched atop Mu-yul’s neck, Ling-ling let out fierce shouts like the Beast Palace Master, wildly swinging his arms to launch a barrage of attacks.
Although they were imitating the combined attack of the Beast Palace Master and Mangkr, it was unclear why Mu-yul, a human, was imitating the beast Mangkr, while Ling-ling, a monkey, was imitating the Beast Palace Master.
Nevertheless, thanks to the addition of Mu-jin, Mu-yul, and Ling-ling, they were able to easily handle the Demonic Cult members.
“Head of the External Affairs Department, what happened?”
There were supposed to be seventy people, including the Red Tiger Leader, acting as decoys. Why were there only about ten left?
Mu-jin asked with a worried expression, but instead of answering, Master Hyun-hyeon brought up another matter.
“First, we must leave this place. There’s a risk of pursuit soon. With so many injured, if a chase ensues, it will be dangerous.”
At Master Hyun-hyeon’s words, Mu-jin, Mu-yul, and Ling-ling, who were the least injured, began to support the wounded.
There was a slight discrepancy in the statement. Except for Mu-jin and Mu-yul, everyone was injured.
Although none were in immediate danger of dying, four were seriously injured, and the rest were bleeding from various parts of their bodies.
Mu-jin carried two of the seriously injured on his back, while Mu-yul and Ling-ling each carried one.
The sight of the small Ling-ling, who was half the height of Mu-yul, carrying a person was quite bizarre.
His legs were almost dragging on the ground.
However, they couldn’t afford to reject the monkey’s help, given the dire situation.
Once they seemed ready to move, Master Hyun-hyeon looked at the Red Tiger Leader.
Then, the Red Tiger Leader took the lead, guiding the way.
After moving for a while, having somewhat escaped the battlefield, Mu-jin asked again.
“Head of the External Affairs Department, why are there only ten left?”
“To scatter their pursuit, we divided into groups of about ten.”
Worried that they might all be dead, Mu-jin sighed in relief.
But only for a moment.
Seeing them surrounded made Mu-jin worry that the scattered groups might be getting picked off one by one.
“There are several hideouts that the traitors have either found or prepared in advance. They likely moved to different hideouts, so don’t worry.”
“But, couldn’t they have also been captured by the pursuers?”
“We purposely left the latest to buy time for the others to hide. We also deliberately left traces for the pursuers to follow. As we got caught, the others are more likely to be safe.”
“Ah….”
Mu-jin couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.
‘To think that he would use himself as bait in such a dire situation.’
It was tantamount to saying that as the one in charge of the expedition to Namman, he had volunteered to be a sacrifice.
* * *
Thanks to breaking through the encirclement once, they were able to reach the hideout without encountering further pursuers.
Prepared for emergencies, the place had minimal provisions, just like where Ou-yang Pae was hiding.
After using the herbs, water, and emergency supplies they had to perform first aid, Mu-jin stood up.
“Then we’ll move to find the others. It’s best for you to rest and tend to your injuries for a while.”
At Mu-jin’s words, Master Hyun-hyeon shook his head.
“The sun is already rising. It’s dangerous to move after an all-nighter, Mu-jin.”
“I’m fine with this much, Head of the External Affairs Department.”
“Even if you’re fine, don’t the people you find need rest? And it’s not easy to move secretly during the daytime, so how about resting and moving in the evening?”
“……Understood.”
Worried about the lives of those scattered, Mu-jin was anxious, but he accepted Master Hyun-hyeon’s rational judgment.
After all, it was a saying he often heard during his time in the military: Resting well is also part of the battle.
Eventually, Mu-jin rested with the injured during the day and got up again at dusk.
Then, along with Mu-yul, he started moving again, following the unique scent of Shaolin.
“Mu-jin, I think I smell blood.”
“Blood?”
Mu-jin repeated, momentarily lost in thought.
‘Could there have been a fight nearby?’
If there had been a fight at this time, it was likely between the Demonic Cult members and their party, or between the Demonic Cult members and the traitors.
“Where?”
Thinking it could be important, Mu-jin decided to head in that direction.
Carefully moving through the brush, relying on Mu-yul’s sense of smell, they soon arrived at a cave hidden among the foliage.
As they approached the cave, Mu-jin could now also smell the blood.
Not just a faint smell, but a very strong scent of blood.
However, despite the thick scent of blood, there was no sign of life inside the cave.
Feeling uneasy, Mu-jin cautiously entered the cave using the Shadow Movement and Ghost Step techniques.
“……Damn.”
What greeted Mu-jin’s eyes were bodies, mutilated and covered in blood and guts.
‘Could it be?’
Feeling a sudden wave of dread, Mu-jin quickly examined the clothes of the brutally slaughtered bodies. Fortunately or unfortunately, the clothes were similar to those worn by the Red Tiger Leader’s subordinates.
It seemed to be a group of traitors who had split from Ou-yang Pae.
This cave appeared to have been their hideout.
Although human lives have no weight, Mu-jin sighed in relief that they weren’t Shaolin members.
Then something caught his eye.
“A mummy?”
There, among the brutally murdered bodies, was what looked like a mummy, known as Moknai in martial arts.
Of course, excessive blood loss could result in a similar appearance.
However,
‘No wounds.’
There were no wounds or traces of blood on the mummy.
And most of all,
“Mu-jin, doesn’t that body look like a child’s?”
No matter how much blood was drained and it shriveled, an adult’s body couldn’t be that small.