HDCLSSRS Ch 181
by berryChapter 181 Encounter (5)
Using an exquisite movement technique, Jegal Un crossed the distance to Yakseon’s research residence on the outskirts of Gansu Province in a single night.
Warm morning sunlight bathed the secluded cottage nestled deep within a dense coniferous forest, far removed from any village.
No matter how many times I see this place… it never feels real.
After making his way through the dark woods, one would suddenly come upon an isolated cottage that looked almost unnaturally peaceful.
Everything about it bore the unmistakable touch of someone who cared for it meticulously.
A low fence—hardly sturdy enough to keep out even a raccoon dog—loosely surrounded the property.
Beyond it lay an even denser forest climbing the mountainside.
To the left stretched a medicinal herb garden and a rabbit enclosure.
This was Jegal Un’s first time actually setting foot here.
Yakseon changed residences from time to time, and whenever she did, he merely confirmed the new location from afar.
As he slowly approached, a trace of tension settled over him.
What if I run into Seong Muyon?
If possible…
He would rather not meet him.
That was why, over the past three years, they had never once come face to face.
Making sure to announce his presence with deliberate footsteps…
He approached the cottage.
Someone suddenly looked up from one corner of the otherwise silent yard.
A rabbit mask.
The rabbit pen stood wide open, while real rabbits hopped around nibbling grass at the masked attendant’s feet.
More attendants soon poured out of the laboratory.
The short boys and girls rushed outside in a cluster, as though they had been waiting for someone.
The instant they spotted Jegal Un…
They froze.
“I’ve come to see Yakseon.”
He deliberately stopped where he was instead of approaching any closer.
“Is she inside?”
Feeling the attendants’ undisguised wariness, he raised his voice just enough to be heard.
According to the rumors…
The attendants Yakseon cherished so dearly were an exceptionally difficult and sensitive bunch.
Quite a few people had suffered for provoking them.
Jegal Un wasn’t foolish enough to dismiss those stories as mere gossip.
The masked attendants exchanged uncertain glances.
It looked remarkably like a group of children left home alone while all the adults were away, nervously confronting an unfamiliar visitor.
So Yakseon isn’t here.
“What about the Owl?”
Jegal Un asked again.
The Owl was Yakseon’s favorite attendant.
He was also the one person here who could actually communicate reasonably…
And who knew Jegal Un’s secret.
“Big Brother went out!”
The attendant wearing the rabbit mask answered boldly.
Apparently, in the Owl’s absence, he was the eldest among those remaining.
Unfortunately…
That brief answer was all he gave.
People who excelled at their jobs anticipated what others needed to know, avoiding long, pointless conversations.
The Rabbit clearly wasn’t one of them.
Stay patient.
They’re just children.
Suppressing the irritation rising inside him…
Jegal Un asked again with remarkable patience.
“Where did they go?”
“When are they expected to return?”
The Rabbit stubbornly shook his head.
He had no intention of revealing that information.
“I have urgent business that cannot wait.”
“So stop delaying and answer honestly.”
Despite doing his best to restrain himself…
His voice inevitably became somewhat stiff.
Compared to the tone he normally used with his subordinates…
It was practically gentle.
Even so…
The attendants shrank back fearfully.
Several turned around and ran straight into the laboratory.
Jegal Un let out a long sigh.
I’m really not used to dealing with children.
It was true.
This was completely unfamiliar territory.
Before children were old enough to develop any real understanding…
Most of them burst into tears the moment they saw him.
Given his position…
Someone would inevitably hurry over to comfort the child or carry them away.
That usually ended the matter.
These attendants weren’t much different.
He hadn’t harmed them in any way.
Did they really need to avoid him as though he carried the plague?
Unfortunately…
There was no one else here to reassure them.
If he wanted the information he needed…
He had to earn their cooperation.
Taking another cautious step closer…
He could almost hear the frightened children trembling.
Jegal Un slowly raised both hands, palms outward, to show he meant no harm.
What exactly am I doing?
Taming a wild animal fresh from the mountains would probably be easier.
Once he was close enough to speak without raising his voice…
Jegal Un slowly knelt down.
Resting one knee on the ground…
He positioned himself so the children were looking down at him.
Whenever he needed to reduce someone’s sense of pressure…
He often chose this posture.
Human beings naturally felt less intimidated when they looked downward instead of upward, exposing vulnerable areas like the neck and shoulders.
“I haven’t even introduced myself.”
“My name is Jegal Un.”
“I have urgent business with Lord Yakseon.”
“I must contact her as soon as possible.”
“If I don’t…”
“Something very terrible may happen.”
He carefully chose every word, trying to sound as gentle as possible.
Yet…
The longer he spoke…
The more he felt the attendants weren’t listening at all.
Eventually…
Frustration won.
He gave up explaining.
“If Yakseon isn’t here…”
“Then bring me the Owl…”
He paused.
“…Or Seong Muyon.”
Even speaking that name left a bad taste in his mouth.
Arguing with these attendants any longer would likely leave him bedridden from sheer frustration.
“You know Maknae?”
The attendants’ ears immediately perked up.
…Maknae?
The odd way they addressed Seong Muyon caught his attention.
But…
Seeing them finally respond positively…
He set the question aside.
“Yes.”
“I know Seong Muyon lives here.”
“He wears that strange badger mask.”
“We’re very close.”
“How close?”
The Rabbit tilted his head.
“Friends?”
“Family?”
“Neighbors?”
“What kind of relationship?”
“That isn’t importa—”
Jegal Un stopped himself.
“…Closer than friends.”
“You could say…”
“We share the same blood.”
The attendants visibly relaxed.
“Then you can trust me.”
“So where did Yakseon go?”
“And is Seong Muyon inside?”
“Big Brother and Maknae went to find Yakseon!”
Yakseon disappeared?
“When?”
“And where?”
“Yesterday.”
“They said they were going to Yaksu Village.”
The Rabbit pointed toward a distant mountain.
Jegal Un knew several villages lay beyond it.
“I see.”
So something really did happen.
He frowned.
There wasn’t much time.
Not long ago…
The Martial Alliance had issued a general mobilization order.
The New Demonic Cult’s increasingly brazen actions could no longer be tolerated.
As the man responsible for leading the elite warriors of the Jegal Clan…
Jegal Un couldn’t afford to remain away for long.
Lost in thought…
He suddenly turned.
Although the conversation had ended…
The Rabbit remained standing there, staring up at him expectantly.
“……”
For a moment…
Jegal Un was genuinely confused.
Then he realized what the child wanted.
His lips twitched awkwardly.
“…Thank…”
“…Thank you… for telling me.”
“Mm!”
Only after awkwardly patting the Rabbit’s head did the child beam happily before running back inside.
Yaksu Village…
His eyes sharpened.
Launching into qinggong, Jegal Un crossed the mountain ridge in a single bound.
Not long afterward…
He found the village the Rabbit had mentioned.
Yaksu Village looked as though a storm had swept through it.
Villagers were cleaning up their ruined homes…
Sorting through scattered belongings to salvage anything still usable.
“Yakseon?”
He stopped one of the villagers.
Only then did he learn everything that had happened.
Yakseon and several villagers had been captured by the Demonic Cult.
Seong Muyon and the Owl had joined forces with a group of swordsmen they happened to encounter…
And set off in pursuit.
Following the trail left behind by Seong Muyon and the Owl…
Jegal Un entered the mountains.
Before long…
He came upon the aftermath of a bloody battle.
The smell of blood…
His face tightened.
Judging from the immaculate sword marks remaining at the scene…
The swordsman accompanying Seong Muyon clearly wasn’t from the unorthodox factions.
Nevertheless…
His methods had been astonishingly ruthless.
What were they thinking, choosing companions like these?!
“……”
Jegal Un bit his lip.
The situation appeared more serious than he had imagined.
The New Demonic Cult had survived this long precisely because of its elusive movements.
Entire sects vanished overnight without leaving so much as a whisper behind.
By the time the Martial Alliance, the Nine Great Sects, or the Five Great Clans arrived…
The enemy had already disappeared.
That had continued for years.
The Martial Alliance has probably already received the report.
Martial artists stationed in nearby cities had apparently assisted Yaksu Village afterward.
They would undoubtedly have informed the Martial Alliance.
Jegal Un shot deeper into the forest.
The unknown martial artists had left almost no trace thanks to their exceptional cultivation.
Fortunately…
The obvious trail left behind by Seong Muyon and the Owl made pursuit relatively easy.
I have to find Yakseon as quickly as possible.
A growing sense of urgency gripped him.
The Martial Alliance had repeatedly failed to capture the New Demonic Cult.
The moment they learned of this incident…
There was every chance they would dispatch an elite investigation force.
Once everyone’s attention focused on this region…
Their freedom to act would disappear.
Preparing Seong Muyon’s medicine required at least four people working together.
They absolutely couldn’t afford to attract attention.
If anyone became curious…
Not only would Jegal Un’s secret be exposed…
Seong Muyon’s identity would be as well.
Footnotes
- Qinggong (경공 / Lightness Skill) — A martial arts movement technique that allows practitioners to travel at extraordinary speed, leap great distances, and traverse difficult terrain with remarkable agility.