The place Gu Yangcheon returned to was the same building he had left earlier.

Fortunately, it wasn’t far, and he had memorized the path, making it easy to find. However, it still took him a while to arrive.

The reason was simple.

“I’m still pissed.”

There simply wasn’t enough time to cool off the rage that had reached its boiling point.

“That damn bastard.”

The more he thought about Gubong, the more his irritation grew.

“I should’ve beaten him harder.”

He regretted not breaking him to the point where he couldn’t get up—or at least not for another half a year.

“Haaa...”

With a heavy sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair. Not that it helped ease his anger.

“And that idiot calls himself a disciple?”

He’d tried to see Gubong in a better light, mainly because Noya seemed to favor him. Perhaps he’d even hesitated to break Gubong completely because of that.

“Why the hell would he favor such a moron?”

All those considerations evaporated in an instant when Gubong abandoned his pride and knelt.

Bang!

Gu Yangcheon kicked the door open, startling the people inside.

The room, which already had people earlier, was now even more crowded.

There were second disciples and others who had been waiting within.

They rolled their eyes nervously, their expressions clear:

“Who the hell is this guy?”

Gu Yangcheon could read their faces, but he ignored the unspoken question and pointed at one of them with an irritated glare.

“You.”

“Y-yes? You mean me?”

“Yeah, you. Get over here.”

He beckoned with his finger, and the man approached hesitantly, bewildered.

This was the same disciple who had raised his voice against Baek Doryeong earlier.

“Who was that guy from before?”

“Pardon...?”

“The Baek-whatever idiot. Who is he?”

When Gu Yangcheon demanded to know about the man, the disciple’s face twisted in confusion. It wasn’t the kind of confusion that asked why are you asking me this? but rather how do you not already know?

“Answer me. Quickly.”

His growl and furrowed brow made the disciple flinch before he began to speak.

“Th-that was Baek Doryeong, heir of the Baek family.”

“The Baek family?”

“Yes... a noble family from Yahwol Palace.”

“Yahwol Palace, huh? And they’re supposed to be impressive?”

“...Yes. They’re one of the Three Noble Houses, known for maintaining pure bloodlines and directly receiving the General’s blessing...”

Pure bloodlines. Gu Yangcheon found the term grating, but he focused on the part about the General’s blessing.

“And who is this General?”

“...?”

“Fix your expression.”

The disciple’s face had morphed into one of disbelief. At Gu Yangcheon’s pointed remark, he quickly schooled his expression, and Gu Yangcheon asked again.

“What is the General?”

“The General is one of four beings who serve under the Master of All Realms...”

“Hmm.”

Gu Yangcheon narrowed his eyes. The mention of the "Master" left him unsure how to react. Whenever his mother was brought up, it made him uneasy. He decided to ignore it for now.

“And what about nobles?”

“They are those of pure bloodlines blessed by the General.”

“And this pureblood idiot is Baek Doryeong?”

“Yes... that is correct.”

“So are these Generals and nobles really that impressive? Enough to make you all shake in your boots?”

“...”

“Shit, your expression.”

“...In this country, those blessed by the Master are the law. As the Master’s chosen, it’s only natural.”

Gu Yangcheon’s thoughts raced as he processed this. The disciple’s lack of hesitation suggested he wasn’t lying.

The belief that being chosen by the Master made it "natural" for their words to be law was likely widespread here.

“So the Master and those under them hold significant power here.”

It was clear they were regarded far more highly than Gu Yangcheon had anticipated.

“So why are these people clashing with Mount Hua?”

“That’s...”

The disciple hesitated, glancing around nervously as if unsure whether he should speak. Gu Yangcheon was about to force an answer when—

“It’s fine. Explain it to him.”

The voice came from behind. Gubong had entered the room late.

Gu Yangcheon glanced at him briefly. His face was sour, and he seemed deep in thought.

“...Mount Hua has no pureblood members and no blessings from the Master, so our influence is rather weak,” the disciple explained.

“No blessings...”

Gu Yangcheon didn’t entirely understand what that meant, but judging from the gatekeepers and Baek Doryeong’s reaction earlier, it was clearly significant in this world.

“Our Sect Leader, out of compassion for those with nowhere else to go, has accepted us without rest... and this has become the root of the problem.”

The disciple’s eyes reflected sorrow.

“Without the General’s blessing or approval from the Master, we are seen as...”

“So, in other words.”

Gu Yangcheon interrupted.

“They think Mount Hua is full of riffraff and treat you all like trash. Is that it?”

“...”

The disciple’s pained expression confirmed it.

“So you endure all this even when trading basic supplies?”

“...It’s something we’ve only just managed to secure. There’s nothing we {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} can do...”

“Fine. But...”

There was one thing Gu Yangcheon couldn’t wrap his head around.

Sure, he understood the situation and their difficulties, but—

“Does your Sect Leader know about this?”

“...”

Would Shin Noya know that his disciples were facing this kind of treatment?

Gu Yangcheon felt confident in his answer.

“No way.”

Given her personality, there was no chance she’d sit idly by if she knew.

“...I don’t think she knows the details,” the disciple replied, his voice uncertain.

As expected.

“So why doesn’t she know? Seems like she should.”

“The Sect Leader is prohibited from leaving the country or getting involved in such matters.”

This time, Gubong answered.

“Prohibited? Why?”

“That is part of the contract that allows Mount Hua to exist.”

“Hmm...”

The word contract brought back a memory.

“Wasn’t that what the leader of that Black Ox group was ranting about?”

Gu Yangcheon recalled the dispute, where Noya had vehemently denied breaking any agreements.

“So Noya can’t leave or get involved, meaning he can’t know what’s going on?”

“That’s correct. And I hope he never finds out.”

Gu Yangcheon raised an eyebrow at Gubong’s response.

“Why not?”

“He is someone who took us in when we had nowhere else to go, raising us with affection...”

Gu Yangcheon resisted the urge to sneer at the mention of affection.

“So that nonsense about kneeling was because of this?”

“...”

Gubong’s silence was an answer in itself.

“What a joke.”

Gu Yangcheon let out a bitter laugh.

“You’re idiots.”

“...”

Even as he insulted them, Gubong said nothing.

“You really think Noya knows nothing about this?”

No way.

That sly old man would never be in the dark about something like this..

“So this is why she sent me, huh?”

Now it was all clear.

“That damn old hag.”

Unable to act herself, she’d pushed the task onto him.

The realization left him fuming as he walked away.

Glancing at Cheonma, he said, “Don’t follow me. Stay here quietly unless you want me to ruin you.”

Cheonma, who had been about to move, flinched and froze.

Gubong called out to him hesitantly.

“...Where are you going? Shouldn’t we return to Mount Hua immediately—”

Without looking back, Gu Yangcheon replied, “I’m going to pay for my meal. Wait here.”

Because right now, there was a task he needed to handle—one even he hadn’t realized was his until now.

**********

A massive mansion located east of Yahwol Palace.

It was known as the home of the Baek family.

Suddenly, chaos erupted as people rushed inside, shouting.

“Emergency—!”

“The young master is injured...!”

Panic swept through the interior as people carried someone inside.

Baek Doryeong, the heir of the family, was slung over the shoulder of one of his guards, his face a mess. The sight sent shockwaves through the gathered crowd.

“The young master is in critical condition...! Call a healer immediately!”

“Move, now!”

“Ugh... urgh...”

The uproar was deafening.

Blood continued to drip from Baek Doryeong’s mouth as the servants, their faces pale with terror, scrambled in every direction.

Were they worried about Baek Doryeongl’s condition? Not at all. That was the least of their concerns.

What truly terrified them wasn’t Baek Doryeong himself.

No matter how important he was as the family’s heir, for now, he was just that—an heir.

The thing they feared most at that moment was—

“What is the meaning of this?”

A low voice reverberated through the building.

The sound froze every servant in their tracks. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Then,

Grrrrrr---!

A low growl, like that of a tiger, echoed softly.

The air thickened with a murderous aura that filled every corner of the mansion.

“Ghhhk... ggh...”

“Ugh... gah...”

The suffocating pressure forced everyone to their knees.

Through the trembling bodies, someone slowly approached.

With each step, long white hair dragged along the floor.

It was coarse and impossibly long, making the figure’s already massive frame of nearly eight feet seem even more imposing.

The man stopped before Baek Doryeong’s collapsed form and stared down at him.

The sight made the veins in his forehead bulge.

“What happened here?”

“S-sir...”

“I asked, what happened?”

Grrrrr---!!!

The man’s voice carried a roar that shook the entire building.

“Hiiik...”

The trembling man in front of him shook even harder, paralyzed by fear.

“Answer me.”

“Th-that... it’s...”

With a trembling hand, the man dug his nails into his palm.

If he couldn’t answer, he would die. Pain was better than death.

He had to speak. There was no other choice.

“...Hwa... Mount Hua...”

Two words. That was all he managed to utter before collapsing unconscious.

Thud. His body fell limp to the floor.

“Mount Hua?”

The figure’s eyes blazed blue with fury.

“Ha.”

A bitter smile twisted his lips upward.

“Those insects dare....”

Even after I showed them mercy, this is how they repay me?

Crack!

His massive fist clenched tightly as he turned around.

“Where are they now?”

“They... they just completed their trade. They’ll be leaving the palace grounds with the supplies soon.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing this, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Lead the way. I’ll go and tear them apart myself.”

This man was Baek Wol.

Leader of the noble Baek family, General of Yahwol Palace, and an Apostle of Yusa.