Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 198 – Loyalty (5)

Mong Mu-yak’s face stiffened.

How did this bastard know about the secret order his father, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon, had given him before departing on the confidential mission?

When high-level martial artists have a private conversation, they use internal energy to control the sound from spreading in all directions.

So unless one reads lips up close, it’s difficult to discern what was said.

‘Father had his back turned and was at a distance.’

But how does he know without a single word out of place?

It was so absurd that he was utterly perplexed.

To the speechless Mong Mu-yak, Mok Gyeong-un whispered with a smile,

“You see, such a secret order doesn’t really need justification and just depends on the will of the person carrying it out, don’t you think?”

“Wh-what are you……”

“The suspicious signs would ultimately just be a hunch, so it’s interesting that such an order was given.”

“No. That’s not it. This is truly just in case……”

“Just in case…… What a nice phrase. But I’m not generous enough to let someone who targets my life based on their arbitrary judgment off the hook.”

At these words, Mong Mu-yak felt like his heart would explode.

Although he had an arrogant and haughty personality, it didn’t mean he was bold in everything.

‘Is he trying to kill me?’

If it were others, he would have tried to escape the situation even if it meant selling out his father.

But strangely, those words didn’t come out.

That’s because if the bastard had cared about such things from the beginning, he wouldn’t have been able to cut off his left arm.

‘This bastard will definitely do it.’

Convinced that Mok Gyeong-un would kill him, Mong Mu-yak finally surrendered.

“N-no, really. Even if I received the order, it was truly just in case. I never intended to frame you.”

“I wonder.”

“I mean it!”

“Hmm.”

Mok Gyeong-un stroked his chin as if pondering.

Then Mong Mu-yak became even more restless and pleaded with Mok Gyeong-un.

“Believe me. I swear on my family’s honor that I had no such intention.”

“You stake your honor too easily.”

-Flinch!

Sharp qi was felt from Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

‘D-damn it.’

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un show no openings, Mong Mu-yak became anxious.

It felt like Mok Gyeong-un would slice his throat at any moment.

Then, Seop Chun’s voice reached his ears.

“If you truly had no such intention, pledge your loyalty to the Lord.”

“What?”

What did he just hear?

Pledge loyalty?

“What the hell are you…… Lord? Did you just say Lord?”

Mong Mu-yak’s eyes widened.

Come to think of it, although they usually acted like rivals, he knew Seop Chun well.

As the Third Captain Commander of the main sect, Seop Chun’s position was different from other executives or any other society members, so he couldn’t openly support anyone.

He was in a position to directly guard the current Society Leader.

But Lord?

“Yes. I said Lord.”

“You……”

“I have decided to serve Young Master Mok Gyeong-un as my Lord.”

“Huh?”

Mong Mu-yak was truly dumbfounded.

They hadn’t even succeeded in the secret mission yet, so he hadn’t become the fourth disciple.

But the main sect’s Guard Captain, who shouldn’t support anyone due to his position, decided to serve this bastard as his Lord?

For what reason?

He couldn’t comprehend it at all.

-Shh!

At that moment, Seop Chun clasped his hands together and apologized to Mok Gyeong-un.

“Forgive me, my Lord. It’s not my place to intervene, but since he is the Vice-Leader’s son, it would be better to make him an ally rather than an enemy……”

With these words, Seop Chun glanced at Mong Mu-yak.

‘This is the best consideration I can give you.’

He had lost his left arm because of him, and now his life was in danger due to that bastard’s secret order.

The only way for him to live was to pledge loyalty to Mok Gyeong-un.

Although they had acted like rivals, he hoped he would make a wise choice.

‘No, please do it.’

If he died now, inevitably all the arrows of suspicion would naturally point to them.

Then the Vice-Leader would become an enemy.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“That’s unnecessary.”

“Pardon?”

“No matter what, he is the Vice-Leader’s son.”

“That’s……”

“Would the Vice-Leader’s son yield to the power of others and be forced to pledge loyalty to someone else? Hah, no way. He has pride, so he would rather commit suicide for his father than do such a thing even if he dies. Right?”

“……”

Mong Mu-yak couldn’t answer to Mok Gyeong-un’s words.

If he agreed here, he would have no choice but to choose death.

Certainly, it was right to preserve his pride, but death was the end of life.

It was too frightening for everything to end.

“No answer? You’re trying to preserve your pride after all? See. You’re befitting of the Vice-Leader’s son. Rather than wasting time, it’s better to cleanly kill him here……”

“W-wait!”

“Wait?”

“Loyalty…… I will pledge loyalty.”

“Pardon? I didn’t hear you well. What did you say?”

“I, I will pledge my loyalty.”

-Thud!

Mong Mu-yak hurriedly pressed his head to the ground.

Although his pride was hurt, surviving was the priority for now.

Come to think of it, he could pretend to pledge loyalty and then return to the Heaven and Earth Society to wait for an opportunity.

Anyway, with his left arm severed, he could no longer continue the mission.

‘Yes. Humiliation is only for a moment.’

The moment he escapes from here and reports to his father, this bastard is finished.

Mong Mu-yak was determined to endure this moment.

Then Mok Gyeong-un lifted his head.

-Shh!

Mok Gyeong-un was licking his lips.

The moment he saw that face, his heart raced like crazy as a chill ran up his spine.

What the hell was this guy?

It was as if he was disappointed that he couldn’t kill him.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“I suppose life is better than pride.”

“……”

“No answer?”

“Th-that’s right! You are correct.”

“But you know what?”

“What is it?”

“It might be better to die.”

“Pardon?”

Mok Gyeong-un grinned.

That smile was so full of malice that Mong Mu-yak felt nauseous and like he would vomit.

He was holding it back, but it was the first time he was so afraid of someone.

He couldn’t believe this bastard was from the righteous faction.

‘I need to escape quickly.’

He wanted to return to the Heaven and Earth Society.

Then Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Well, anyway, since you say you’ll become my person, I should reward you for that.”

At those words, Mong Mu-yak waved his hands.

“Ah, no. How could I expect a reward?”

He just wanted to be sent back home.

That way, he could inform his father and the Society Leader about the true colors of this crazy, evil bastard.

But,

-Shh!

When Mok Gyeong-un extended his hand, something flew into his grasp.

-Smack!

It was none other than,

‘Th-this is……’

Mong Mu-yak’s severed left arm.

“Urgh.”

It was truly bizarre.

He was fine when he saw other people’s corpses, but seeing his own severed arm made it difficult to hold back his retching.

‘He really has terrible taste.’

Seeing this, Seop Chun clicked his tongue inwardly.

He would already be suffering from having his arm cut off, so how shocked would he be to receive that as a reward?

Since he couldn’t continue the mission and could be sent back, he should be treated well, but he didn’t understand why Mok Gyeong-un was doing this.

Then Mok Gyeong-un said,

“I’ll return your arm.”

“……Urgh…… Thank you.”

Mong Mu-yak forcibly swallowed the rising vomit and tried to receive his severed arm.

But Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Pardon? Then what?”

“Extend your left arm.”

‘!?’

Mong Mu-yak made an expression of incomprehension at Mok Gyeong-un’s request.

Why was he telling him to extend his left arm?

Was he toying with him now?

Then Mok Gyeong-un let out a soft sigh and pulled Mong Mu-yak’s severed left arm.

-Grip!

“Ugh. Wh-what is this……”

“I said I’ll return your arm.”

“Return it, what do you……”

“The blood vessels and nerves need to be reconnected, so I’m asking for your understanding in advance.”

“Under……”

-Shik!

“Khh.”

-Spurt!

At that moment, a sharp qi brushed past, and blood flowed from the left arm where the bleeding had stopped.

The pain was less than when it was first cut off, but it was unavoidable, so Mong Mu-yak’s face contorted.

Then Mok Gyeong-un placed the severed arm against the cut surface of Mong Mu-yak’s bleeding left arm.

Both Mong Mu-yak, the person involved, and Seop Chun were dumbfounded.

Did he really think the severed arm would reconnect just by attaching it like this?

If that was the case, he was truly insane……

“Seop Chun.”

“Yes?”

“Hold it so it doesn’t fall off.”

‘!?’

What the hell was he trying to do?

Seop Chun looked at him with an expression that was hard to understand.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un urged in a small voice,

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“Y-yes!”

Seop Chun, who had grasped Mok Gyeong-un’s personality, hurriedly carried out the order.

He didn’t know why he was doing this nonsense, but he held the severed arms as ordered so they wouldn’t fall off.

Then Mok Gyeong-un made a sword finger with his right hand and placed it on one part of the severed area.

And with his left hand,

-Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

‘Im (Arrival)! Tu (Fight)! Jeon (Front)! Jae (Present)! Jin (Array)! Gye (All)!’

He formed the abbreviated hand seals of the Nine Character Mantra.

As he formed the hand seals, a red heat flowed from the tip of Mok Gyeong-un’s right-hand sword finger.

Mong Mu-yak was startled by the heat.

What the hell was he trying to do?

Then Mok Gyeong-un moved the sword finger along the severed area.

In that state,

‘The Great General of the East, the Azure Emperor, help me. The Great General of the Center, the Yellow Emperor, help me. The Great General of the West, the White Emperor, help me. The Great General of the North, the Black Emperor, help me. The Great General of the Center, the Yellow Emperor, help me.’

He chanted the incantation inwardly.

-Sizzle!

Along with this, an agonizing pain arose from the severed area where the sword finger passed, as if it were being burned.

The pain was more excruciating than when the arm was cut off.

Naturally, a scream had to burst out.

“Aaaarrrggghhhh!”

“How noisy.”

“Aaaarrrggghhhh!”

“Tsk, tsk.”

-Shh!

Mok Gyeong-un waved his left hand, and Mong Mu-yak’s mouth was shut due to the profound internal energy.

“Mmmppphhh!”

Smirking at Mong Mu-yak, whose eyes were even glistening with tears, Mok Gyeong-un continued to move the sword finger along the severed area.

-Sizzle!

‘Woo-gan-gan-gak-gak-woo!’

“Mmmppphhh.”

Mong Mu-yak twisted his body, trying to struggle in agony.

Of course, Seop Chun was holding his arms, and Mok Gyeong-un was also pressing down on his body, including his mouth, with internal energy, so he couldn’t move an inch.

Soon, Mok Gyeong-un’s sword finger completely circled the severed area.

-Sizzle!

As he removed the sword finger, the severed area was glowing red.

Mok Gyeong-un smiled upon seeing this.

Then Seop Chun asked,

“Do I have to keep holding it?”

“No, you can let go.”

‘If I let go, it will fall off.’

He didn’t know what he did, but it seemed like he had cauterized the wound with something like burning internal energy.

But how could a severed arm reconnect with just that?

It would surely fall off.

Seop Chun was inwardly puzzled but let go of his hands as ordered for now.

However,

‘What?’

Surprisingly, Mong Mu-yak’s severed arm, which he thought would fall off, didn’t.

What the hell did he do?

There was no way it could stick like that just by cauterizing the flesh with burning internal energy.

“My Lord. What did you do?”

“This.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Mok Gyeong-un lightly slapped the back of Mong Mu-yak’s connected severed hand.

-Slap!

-Flinch!

Why was he doing that? As he was puzzled, an even more surprising thing happened.

“This…… this is…… what……”

Mong Mu-yak, who had been in so much pain that he even shed tears, couldn’t hide his astonishment as he looked at his left arm.

-Twitch!

The fingers below the severed area were trembling and moving slightly.

Seop Chun, who was watching this, also widened his eyes.

‘…… No way.’

He thought it was a pointless prank, but the severed arm really seemed to have reconnected.

Seeing this, Mok Gyeong-un twitched the corners of his mouth.

‘It succeeded.’

This was a sorcery technique called the Three Wonders Method.

It was a technique from a secret book hidden by Cho Tae-cheong, the Three-Eyed, a master of healing arts.

It was a miraculous technique that could even reconnect a severed arm if a few tricky conditions were met.

For example, there were several conditions, such as the severed body part must not exceed one hour.

The biggest constraint among them was that the recipient’s original energy would be consumed.

Naturally, the stronger the technique, the greater the conditions and constraints, but it didn’t matter since it wasn’t consuming his own original energy.

“Aaah!”

Besides, there was no need to downplay it when the person involved was so moved.

Mok Gyeong-un said to Mong Mu-yak,

“It will take some time for the severed blood vessels and nerves to fully reconnect, so be careful and splint it for about five days.”

“……”

At these words, Mong Mu-yak looked at Mok Gyeong-un with trembling eyes.

What the hell was this bastard’s true identity?

How was this possible without being Hua Tuo or Bian Que?

While he was moved, he also felt somewhat terrified of this bizarre ability.

To him, who was so speechless that he couldn’t easily part his lips, Mok Gyeong-un said with the corners of his mouth raised,

“Now there won’t be any significant issues in continuing the mission.”

‘Huh?’

Instantly, Mong Mu-yak’s expression stiffened.