HDCLSSRS Ch 161

Chapter 161 Choice (11)

Seong Muyeon instantly realized that a battle had erupted near the quarters. The ground itself trembled beneath the sheer pressure of qi — and there were few in the world capable of producing such power. It could only mean one thing: Baek Ryeoil had finished his meditation and emerged.

Baek Dojang…

A dull ache spread through his chest.

Just the thought that Baek Ryeoil was somewhere beyond the haze made him want to run there immediately — to see his face, to touch him, to pull him into his arms and never let go. If he could, he would have taken him away — somewhere no one could ever find them.

Being apart from him felt like the cruelest pain in existence.

But Muyeon forced himself to look away and continued forward, every step heavy yet resolute.

They say distance makes the heart grow cold.

Maybe if he went far enough… this unbearable longing would fade, too.

At the same time, Myung-gwi, locked in combat, lifted his head toward the sky. Half of his Ghost-Slayer Unit had already been slaughtered, and his own body was covered in wounds.

When the brilliant flashes of Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword and the smooth, flowing sword energy of the Wudang Sect filled his vision, something in his movements shifted.

The Poison Freak had claimed they’d come to kill Baek Ryeoil, but Myung-gwi’s fighting style said otherwise. He wasn’t fighting to kill — he was stalling for time.

Sensing this, Baek Ryeoil’s patience snapped. He felt the man preparing to retreat and bellowed furiously, “Where do you think you’re going?!”

He leapt onto the roof after him. From that vantage, the view opened wide — and amidst the chaos, his gaze caught on a familiar figure in the distance. His brows furrowed.

…Seong Muyeon?

Muyeon was moving away, alongside someone else — trying to leave the battlefield behind.

That split second of distraction cost him. Myung-gwi’s blade lunged in.

Baek Ryeoil twisted his body — too late.

“Kh!”

The attack grazed him, forcing him to retreat. In the next instant, Myung-gwi grabbed the Poison Freak by the collar and leapt away into the distance, scattering a storm of hidden darts as they vanished.

Jang Hansu and the disciples gave chase.

“Senior Brother! What are you— Senior Brother! Where are you going?!”

But Baek Ryeoil didn’t hesitate. Instead of pursuing Myung-gwi or the Poison Freak, he turned toward the direction where Seong Muyeon had gone.

The further he went, the quieter it became — everyone else had joined the chase, leaving the outer grounds eerily empty.

Then, he saw them.

Seong Muyeon was standing with his brother, Seong Muryong, surrounded by their men. The moment they sensed his approach, steel rang — swords drawn in warning.

It only took an instant before Baek Ryeoil stepped from the shadows.

“Seong Muyeon.”

Muyeon froze, his body going rigid like he’d been struck by lightning.

“What are you doing there? Come here,” Baek Ryeoil said, tone as calm as ever.

But Muryong stepped between them, eyes sharp with hostility.

“Don’t come any closer.”

“And if I do?” Baek Ryeoil sneered and took a deliberate step forward.

“You’ll die,” Muryong hissed, raising his sword.

A cold gleam passed through Baek Ryeoil’s eyes.

“You’re the one who should leave while you can. Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time? Still not enough beatings for you, it seems.”

Muryong let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Who’s bullying whom here? Yeon chose to leave with me of his own will. I’m his brother — his family. You’re a stranger meddling where you don’t belong.”

Baek Ryeoil’s brow twitched.

“Brother, please go on ahead. I’ll follow shortly,” Muyeon said quietly, stepping between them.

“Yeon-ah!” Muryong barked. “You can’t be serious!”

“That man followed me. I’ll handle this myself.”

“What nonsense—”

“Do as the Seventh Prince says, Second Prince,” came Ilgwang’s voice.

Even Muryong blinked in surprise at the unexpected interjection.

“The Seventh Prince is no child in need of guarding. You saw his strength earlier — trust him.”

Muryong hesitated, clearly displeased. But when he looked into Muyeon’s calm, unwavering eyes, he sighed and relented.

“I’ll wait beyond that ridge,” he said, pressing his sword into Muyeon’s hand before leaving — unwilling to depart unarmed.

Baek Ryeoil watched them go, arms crossed, saying nothing. Only when they had disappeared entirely did Muyeon turn toward him.

For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Muyeon smiled faintly.

“‘I’ll follow soon,’ huh? If anyone heard you, they might actually believe it.” His smile turned weary. “Anyway, you handled that well. Let’s go before your brother decides to come back.”

Baek Ryeoil took his hand.

“Dojang…”

“Let’s just get out of here,” Baek Ryeoil said curtly. “This place is chaos. The Jegal Clan’s estate looks more like a market than a fortress — dogs, cows, and fools all crowding together…”

He ignored Muyeon’s soft call of his name, glancing once toward the still-raging battle before striding in the opposite direction.

“I’m not going back,” Muyeon said suddenly, slipping his hand free.

Baek Ryeoil’s expression hardened for the first time since arriving.

“What do you mean, ‘not going back’? Then where? You can’t be serious — are you planning to follow your brother home? Back to the Demon Sect’s stronghold in Xinjiang?”

His tone, calm at first, grew sharper with every word.

He had known it, deep down. He’d sensed it from the beginning — that Seong Muyeon truly meant to leave.

When Muyeon only looked at him in silence, Baek Ryeoil’s composure cracked.

“You think I’ll let you go? Who gave you that right? Over my dead body. Go on then, try it!”

His voice dropped low, rough with fury.

“…Dojang.”

“You can’t do this to me,” Baek Ryeoil growled through clenched teeth. “You can’t. Do you know what I’ve sacrificed—what I’ve endured because of you? And now you dare—dare to abandon me?”

He seized Muyeon’s shoulders, fingers digging hard into flesh. His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light — wild, desperate. But as his voice faltered, the rage melted into something quieter, broken.

“…Are you really leaving me?”

When he finally spoke again, his voice was so small it barely reached Muyeon’s ears.

“Let’s go back to Mount Hua,” he pleaded. “You liked it there, didn’t you?”

Muyeon let out a painful sigh.

“Dojang… please, listen to me.”

“No. Forget Mount Hua, then. Anywhere’s fine. We’ll go wherever you want. Let them all fight and kill each other — we’ll live our own life, far from all of this.”

Muyeon wanted that more than anything — to leave everything behind, to live quietly somewhere the world couldn’t find them.

But he couldn’t. Not anymore.

“I refuse,” he said softly.

Baek Ryeoil lifted his head slowly, his pupils trembling, disbelief flooding his face.

“You really think I liked living in Mount Hua? I was only pretending. You dragged me there against my will. You have no idea what I went through.”

A shadow of pain flickered across Baek Ryeoil’s eyes — the first time Muyeon had ever seen him look so fragile, so human. It tore at his chest, but he couldn’t stop now.

“As long as I’m with you… nothing will ever change. I can’t do this anymore. Thank you for everything, but… goodbye.”

He took a few steps away.

And then — a cold rush of killing intent.

Muyeon twisted instinctively—

Crash!

A sword embedded itself in the spot where he’d just been standing.

“Are you serious?” Muyeon shouted, fury boiling over. Had he reacted even a second slower, the blade would’ve pierced his thigh.

“What’s the surprise?” Baek Ryeoil’s voice was eerily calm. “Next time we meet, we’ll be enemies anyway. Think of this as… an early start.”

Emotionless, flat — utterly terrifying. His eyes flashed as he pulled the blade free, the steel shrieking against stone.

Muyeon’s spine prickled with cold as Baek Ryeoil appeared before him in a blur of motion.

The sword swung down in a vicious arc. Muyeon barely raised Muryong’s sword in time to block it. The impact jolted through his arm, pain lancing up from his wrist.

“You should’ve just done this from the beginning,” Baek Ryeoil murmured. The tip of his sword dragged across the ground with a grating sound that echoed through the still air.

“I don’t need your permission. You’re not going anywhere — not unless I say so.”

Muyeon swallowed hard, every muscle in his body coiled tight.