The instant he heard the words Human Offering, the formless anxiety in Kwak Yeon’s heart took on substance and showed its face. Then it set to work without mercy, gouging at his chest.

“Words are the art of calling illusions into reality, so one must always speak with care.”

He now understood, vividly, what Hyeonhae Taoist had meant when he warned him to be cautious with speech.

The moment you define an imagined thing in words, it ceases to be an illusion and becomes a reality.

Kwak Yeon had been forcing himself to believe that the Sage Taoist had only been abducted and had not yet suffered misfortune.

But the bottom of his heart insisted otherwise.

He could not deny that he had borrowed Chwi Dugae’s mouth because he lacked the courage to face a horrific reality himself.

From the moment he saw through that they were no mere kidnappers, the baleful word had been turning over in his mind.

Seeing Kwak Yeon’s devastated complexion, Chwi Dugae opened his mouth at last, trying belatedly to douse the fire of anxiety he had kindled.

“Brother Kwak, it may be I leapt too far with that conjecture.”

Seeing the embarrassed look on Chwi Dugae’s face, Kwak Yeon felt sorry.

“No. In truth, I was thinking the same. I lacked the courage and sought confirmation through you. If anything, I should apologize.”

At Kwak Yeon’s candid confession, Chwi Dugae felt some weight ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) lift from his heart.

Chwi Dugae knew that the way he spoke his mind without watching for people’s feelings caused pain, yet he found it hard to change.

That habit had him forever clashing with his master as well.

Having resolved that if he could not cure the habit he might as well make use of it, Chwi Dugae quietly went on.

“It’s giving you a sickness the size of a jar and handing over medicine the size of mouse droppings, but—even if they abducted for that purpose, they may still not have performed a Human... no, not have done the foul deed yet.”

Because he knew Chwi Dugae spoke to console him, Kwak Yeon only nodded in silence.

“They will not have.”

“More than that, they surely didn’t know the Sage Taoist was Wudang’s disciple when they took him. If so, they may be all the more unable to act rashly.”

There was some sense in what Chwi Dugae said. But the opposite was just as likely: the Sage Taoist might be in greater danger.

They would not want their deed known to the Wudang Sect.

Having said it, Chwi Dugae inwardly regretted it.

Damn, I shouldn’t have said that...

The arrow already loosed, Chwi Dugae hurried on.

“Brother Kwak, in any case, don’t lose hope. This older brother will help as well.”

Kwak Yeon spoke toward Chwi Dugae.

“I’m grateful for the heart behind it. But shouldn’t you go to the Martial Alliance?”

“As I said before, the Heroes Assembly runs the whole month; there’s plenty of time. If I go now, there’s nothing to do but watch green youths cross swords. Above all, this is something I cannot help but investigate. There’s surely a great plot at work.”

“...”

“My thought, but—they seem on a different level from the hidden hand that staged the coup in the Hao Sect. Of course, the two may not be separate organizations.”

Kwak Yeon was thinking along similar lines. No—one step further: it might be tied to the baleful qi that was shrouding the realm from the shadows.

If this incident was a piece of that baleful qi, then the Sage Taoist’s situation was all the worse, and his heart grew heavier.

This isn’t the time to sit and worry.

Setting aside his concern for the Sage Taoist for the moment, Kwak Yeon asked Chwi Dugae:

“Brother, what kind of people would do such a thing?”

“With so little information, I can’t say for certain, but they’re no ordinary lot.”

Thinking it fortunate that Chwi Dugae—well versed in the ways of the martial world—was with him, Kwak Yeon listened closely.

“From the fact they abducted Taoists and meditating monks who hadn’t learned martial arts, they’re not ones who use demonic arts like the Essence-Draining Demonic Art. That’s why I said Human Offering seems to be the aim.”

Though the Essence-Draining Demonic Art was a wicked demonic art, it was still recognized as a method within the way of martial cultivation. Of course, those who learned it were branded demons and driven out without mercy.

“In any case, as I know it, the Blood Sect that vanished a hundred years ago practiced Human Offering. Moreover, they believed offering up those who had cultivated immortal breath worked better than using common folk.”

“Then has the Blood Sect reappeared?”

“Judging by their actions so far, it fits—but I can’t declare it the Blood Sect.”

Chwi Dugae shook his head and continued.

“If it brings them power, outcasts and deviants will do anything—and the martial world is full of such men.”

When Chwi Dugae mentioned the Blood Sect, Kwak Yeon could hear a subtle fear in his voice.

Kwak Yeon too had heard that a hundred years ago the Blood Sect was an absolute terror in the martial world. He didn’t know why they were so fearsome, nor why they vanished all at once.

He understood that Chwi Dugae was inwardly hoping these were not the Blood Sect.

Kwak Yeon nodded readily to Chwi Dugae’s words and spoke. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Then there’s nothing for it but to find out directly.”

****

Guardian Elder Woljeong Zhenren was waiting for Kwak Yeon and Chwi Dugae as they descended to the Wuyi Sect’s guest hall.

“Ah! You’re coming down.”

His expression was severe, but he did not completely hide the look of relief.

It was no joy to have outsiders linger within the sect. These two were uninvited besides.

Having shouldered off a hard burden upon them, he plainly wished to send them on their way swiftly.

“If you would reach Seonyang County before dark, it would be best to make haste.”

Woljeong Zhenren had already turned his body toward the mountain gate.

At that moment, Kwak Yeon spoke out.

“Guardian Elder, before we depart, I would like a few words with the Immortal Lodge’s novice.”

“Why the Immortal Lodge’s novice...?”

Woljeong Zhenren’s face, turned back, stiffened slightly.

“Do you mean to hold this sect to account?”

At Woljeong Zhenren’s excessive reaction, Kwak Yeon felt a stir of foreboding.

“Has something happened to the Immortal Lodge’s novice?”

At the pointed question, Woljeong Zhenren flinched. Then he let out a low sigh and spoke.

“It’s not that we meant to conceal it. We simply did not say it for fear of stirring up rumors.”

“Guardian Elder, I know the Wuyi Sect’s position. The intention was good, and the result turned out thus.”

At Kwak Yeon’s words, Woljeong Zhenren’s rigid face eased a little, and he said:

“Not long after the incident, the Immortal Lodge’s novice went down the mountain. Things were so unsettled that we only learned it after a few days.”

“Without the elders’ leave?”

“Just so.”

Nodding, Woljeong Zhenren went on.

“The Immortal host had taken the child in personally as a novice and had not entered him in the registry, so we had no particular reason to hold him back once he left.”

“Was the reason the Immortal host took him in as a novice tied to that classic text?”

Woljeong Zhenren’s eyes widened as he looked at Kwak Yeon.

“How did you...?”

Chwi Dugae also stared at Kwak Yeon in frank surprise.

“Kwak Taoist, truly astonishing.”

Woljeong Zhenren bobbed his head and continued.

“The boy found that classic while gathering wood in the mountains and came to the Immortal host. He said he wanted to study the classic himself, so we kept him first as the Immortal Lodge’s novice.”

Kwak Yeon could tell that even within the Wuyi Sect there had been unease about the Immortal Lodge’s overly clean state.

When the Immortal Lodge’s novice vanished of a sudden, they would have suspected all the more, but with him already gone they had simply buried it.

When Kwak Yeon kept silence after hearing Woljeong Zhenren’s answer, the stifled Chwi Dugae asked:

“Zhenren, you mean there’s no way at all to find the novice?”

“All we know is the name Gok Sangchil, that he’s sixteen or seventeen, with a broad, flat face. If we go to the Library Pavilion and search the register, we might at least learn his home village.”

“In that case, at least—”

Kwak Yeon cut in.

“Brother, that’s enough.”

“Hm?”

Kwak Yeon joined his palms toward Woljeong Zhenren and bowed.

“Guardian Elder, I’m sorry to have troubled the temple. Thanks to your particular care, we were able to find traces of my senior brother. Thank you.”

With a perplexed look, Woljeong Zhenren returned the bow and said:

“Kwak Taoist, I’m sorry to have laid a hard burden upon you. Please report to Mount Wudang in full that this is beyond our sect’s ability to handle.”

“I will, of course. I would ask that you keep my senior brother’s travel pack in your safekeeping for a time.”

“That we shall do as a matter of course. In any case, we earnestly await the day when the Sage Taoist and all fellow Taoists return through this gate whole in body.”

****

“What—earnestly await?”

No sooner had they passed out through the Wuyi Sect’s mountain gate than Chwi Dugae grumbled.

“Truly, if he isn’t a talking Taoist—what a slick tongue. How can he, in this situation, say ‘whole in body’... mm!”

Chwi Dugae swallowed the words fast and looked at Kwak Yeon.

“Brother Kwak, it’s not that I don’t wish for it. It’s just that the sight of that old Taoist being so brazen galls me. They hid the novice’s flight to save their own skins.”

Kwak Yeon nodded readily.

“How could I not know your heart? And when you’re with me, speak freely of anything.”

He did not bother to say that he liked how Chwi Dugae, unlike him, spoke without reserve.

When he was downcast, his face showed it; when he disliked something, he could not help but show it. He found himself stifling.

Even now, he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs and call for his senior brother.

I will find you. Endure.

Only then would the baleful feeling ease.

But in the event, he only piled it up in his heart.

“Brother Kwak, why didn’t you ask the novice’s home village?”

Perhaps emboldened by being told to speak freely, Chwi Dugae opened at once.

“Even if it’s a fabrication, you never know.”

“How often do coincidences stack up so many times? There’s no reason to waste precious time confirming what’s a foregone conclusion.”

Chwi Dugae had to concede that point.

A wood-gathering boy finds an old classic in a hidden cave, seeks out the Immortal host, and volunteers as a novice. Then, when the boy happens to be away, the entire Immortal Lodge vanishes as if spirited away, and a few days later the boy flees the mountain—it could never be called coincidence.

Chwi Dugae was convinced the novice had acted as an insider and helped make it happen.

The novice must have given the Immortal Lodge Taoists a sleeping draught, so none awoke.

Even so, he asked on the off chance because they had no proper way to pursue the culprits at once.

It had been over seven months; tracking by traces was impossible.

Chwi Dugae, frustrated, grumbled again.

“Brother Kwak, if we’re to save time, do you have a way?”

Kwak Yeon nodded.

“I do.”

“...?”

Chwi Dugae’s round eyes flashed open.

He had only been grumbling; he had not truly expected an answer.