Chapter 507

Thinking about how the actions of the past sect leaders had come back like this, one couldn’t help but be amazed.

Still, the fact that the Savage Beast King harbored goodwill toward Yeolhwa Sect and even sided with the orthodox faction in the Great War of Righteousness and Demonic Sects…

“That means Southern Barbarian Beast Palace is highly likely to participate in this New Murim Alliance as well.”

“Hmm, the old man cannot say for certain. But if the Savage Beast King I remember still holds true to his nature, he will support the orthodox faction.”

“What about North Sea Ice Palace?”

“If the envoy sent from Henan didn’t freeze to death along the way, they might at least read the letter. But I wouldn’t place much hope on them.”

With vast experience and deep insight, No Gangho cast his gaze toward Mu Song.

“But the real immediate concern is this… How will the King of the Seas respond?”

At that moment, Mu Song flinched, his body stiffening. Moon Kyung suddenly spoke in a low voice.

“By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Mu Song Dae-hyeop.”

“Uh… Uh?”

Mu Song’s pupils trembled violently as he met Moon Kyung’s gaze. Clicking his tongue, Moon Kyung continued.

“You, do you know who I am?”

“…”

“You, you do know who I am.”

For a moment, the air froze.

I doubted my ears. Mu Song’s pupils trembled violently, his face contorted into a look as if he might wet himself. With a hoarse, trembling voice, he barely managed to speak.

“I-I don’t know anything!”

“Is that so.”

Moon Kyung’s expression remained cold as he stared at Mu Song.

“Then why are you speaking so formally to me, Mu Song Dae-hyeop?”

“You’re quite fearless. To dare lie to my face.”

Snap!

Got him. But how the hell did Mu Song recognize Moon Kyung’s true identity?

‘I was wondering why he kept fidgeting like a dog holding in its poop.’

Judging by his reaction, he must have known Moon Kyung’s identity from the start. But that would be practically impossible, given Mu Song’s level of martial arts.

Right now, Moon Kyung had reached the state of Body Reconstruction and Reversing Age.

To perceive such an anomaly, one would have to be at a similar level or at least surpass the initial stage of Transcendence, just to sense even a slight discrepancy.

‘And yet Mu Song noticed?’

That’s impossible. I’d sooner believe Hyeok Mu-jin knocked out Cheongpung with a single punch and took out three of his teeth.

While I was lost in thought, Jeok Cheon-Gang spoke in a disinterested tone.

“That’s enough. The guy was trying to play dumb and let it slide, but an old man intimidating a child doesn’t look good.”

“Old man? Intimidation?”

Moon Kyung scoffed.

“Just yesterday, you were on the brink of death, whining like an old fool, and now that you’ve regained some youth, your mouth is the first thing to recover. Stay out of this, third party.”

“…What?”

Despite his Reversed Age, a deep furrow formed on his previously smooth forehead.

I quickly stepped between Jeok Cheon-Gang and Moon Kyung, trying to defuse the situation.

“Wait, both of you, calm down. Calm down!”

“You stay out of this.”

“Move.”

Without hesitation, I swiftly backed off. Mu Song, now stuck like lettuce between two towering forces, sent me a desperate look for help.

It was the kind of look that said, Please, save me.

‘Like hell I’d get involved in this. If they were really about to fight to the death, maybe I’d intervene. But they’re not, so I’m staying out of it.’

And my judgment was right.

After a long moment of mutual glaring, Jeok Cheon-Gang and Moon Kyung simultaneously withdrew their auras, as if by mutual agreement.

“Hmph. Since you helped me, I’ll let it slide.”

“You ungrateful old bastard.”

Like two cranky old men in a retirement home, they exchanged a few sarcastic remarks before turning their attention back to Mu Song, who was frozen stiff like a statue.

“Come to think of it, you’re quite an interesting one. How exactly did you know?”

Honestly, I was the most curious about that as well.

As we all stared at Mu Song, waiting for his answer, the response surprisingly came from Moon Kyung himself.

“It must be them. The ones who followed me when I was hunting the Imoogi… The subordinates of Water Dragon Stronghold. No, I should say the pirates of Water Dragon Fleet, correct?”

Mu Song swallowed hard.

“Y-Yes, that’s right. The fact that a young physician named Moon Kyung possessed such incredible martial prowess… and even held a high enough rank to confront the Zhuge Clan Head… That alone made him someone to watch closely.”

Wait, was that something that happened without me even knowing?

Well, thinking about it, it makes sense. There was no way they could have found me across Dongting Lake by sheer luck alone.

‘But still, his identity was exposed in such a way?’

For decades, Moon Kyung had kept his true identity tightly concealed.

Even after the Sichuan Blood Massacre, the number of people aware of his identity—excluding his disciple Shin Ui—could be counted on one hand, including Jeok Cheon-Gang and myself.

Though it didn’t seem like they had connected him to being an Assassin, the fact that more people were learning his secret wouldn’t sit well with him.

Of course, Jeok Cheon-Gang couldn’t care less and was practically enjoying the drama with a metaphorical bag of popcorn.

“You fool. At least use False Utilization or something. Kekeke.”

“I had no time for that. I was busy rushing to save your disciple.”

“…Ahem. Well, for that, I am grateful.”

At that, Jeok Cheon-Gang, who had been chuckling, suddenly stopped laughing.

Clicking his tongue, Moon Kyung turned his cold gaze back to Mu Song.

“I distinctly warned them through Sound Transmission, yet it seems you have some rather loyal subordinates.”

“…Huh!”

At Moon Kyung’s chilling voice, Mu Song’s eyes widened in shock.

The next moment, if not for the Qi Barrier surrounding us, his shout would have echoed across the entire area.

“N-No, you can’t!”

“What exactly is it that I can’t do?”

“My subordinates have done nothing wrong. If you must punish someone, take my life instead!”

“…And why would I kill you?”

At those words, not only Mu Song, but even Jeok Cheon-Gang and I were left utterly dumbfounded.

“Huh? You’re… not going to?”

“Not killing him?”

“That old man’s gone senile—wait, hold on. Can senility be contagious?”

While contemplating the possibility of senility transmission, Jeok Cheon-Gang suddenly grinned triumphantly.

“Aha! I get it now! Instead of killing them, you plan to cripple their Dantian or sever at least one of their limbs!”

As Moon Kyung stared at us with trembling pupils, he murmured in a voice filled with regret.

“Killing intent naturally rises.”

Mu Song, caught between fear and determination, spoke up.

“My subordinates are innocent. Please, let me be enough—”

“Shut your damn mouth before I rip it off.”

“Gasp. Y-Yes.”

Moon Kyung sighed as he looked down at Mu Song with an exasperated expression.

“Including you, there are six, correct?”

“Y-Yes, Senior. We’ve been together for many years, and they are all tight-lipped.”

“I’ve never had a junior like you, and I’m no longer part of the Murim. But if you don’t keep your mouths shut, I can erase all traces of you without a sound.”

“If you want to live peacefully and die of old age, you’d better seal your lips permanently. Say nothing to the King of the Seas or anyone else. Understood?”

Mu Song pressed his lips together tightly and gave a small nod. Moon Kyung jerked his chin toward the back.

“Go. And tell your subordinates not to go anywhere near the stern of the ship until you reach Henan.”

“Excuse me? Uh…”

“What. Do you have more questions?”

“N-No, sir. If you need anything, please call on me anytime.”

Mu Song bowed deeply and hurried away. Now, only Jeok Cheon-Gang, Moon Kyung, and I remained.

With a look of deep regret, Jeok Cheon-Gang nudged me in the ribs.

“It would be more fun if that guy ran his mouth all over town. Don’t you think?”

“In— cough.”

I quickly disguised my agreement with a cough.

Moon Kyung was glaring at us with an expression that screamed he found nothing amusing. The kind of glare that suggested he wanted to beat someone up just to make things interesting.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Neither did I. But you seem awfully guilty.”

“It’s not that—I was just making a general statement.”

“So I should consider giving you a general beating.”

“No, really, it’s not like that.”

“I heard you. In. What’s next?”

At times like this, staying calm was key. I spoke with composure.

“I meant In-eui, as in righteousness. How could I think otherwise?”

“That’s not what you meant.”

“It is, though.”

“It wasn’t.”

“It was! Why are you playing Mind Reading King all of a sudden?”

He might not know who Mind Reading King was, but he definitely understood it was an insult.

As Moon Kyung’s gaze turned chilling, I hurriedly changed the subject.

“By the way, why did you tell them not to go near the stern?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Damn it.

With nothing else to say, I clamped my mouth shut. Moon Kyung clicked his tongue.

“How did someone like this even manage to become a disciple?”

Jeok Cheon-Gang, who had been watching the spectacle with his arms crossed, chuckled.

“Because he’s exactly the kind of person worth raising.”

“That guy? The one with no sense of respect?”

“Is that so? I always thought he had no flaws. Seems like we see things differently. Or maybe someone is just ignoring the truth.”

Moon Kyung, after glancing back and forth between us, muttered under his breath.

“…You sure talk a lot. Reversing age made you even more long-winded.”

I had no idea what was even happening in this conversation anymore.

Just as I stood there, dumbfounded, Jeok Cheon-Gang finally pushed himself off the wooden railing of the ship.

“I should head inside. I’ve had enough of staring at this damn river.”

“Wow, that’s an excellent idea. By any chance, is your surname Zhuge instead of Jeok?”

This was the best news I’d heard all day.

But as I tried to follow him inside, Jeok Cheon-Gang suddenly blocked my path with his arm.

Thud.

“Huh?”

“Huh? What do you mean huh? Why are you following me?”

“Aren’t you heading to the cabin?”

“And?”

“I was planning to go inside too.”

“And you think two grown men should cram into that tiny space together?”

“It’s an accommodation for five. Where’s your sense of fairness—”

“I’m going to meditate and reflect on my recent enlightenment. You don’t need to be there.”

“Ohhh, you’re going to cultivate. Then I shall stand guard—”

“I don’t need it. Stay here.”

“Huh?”

When I hesitated, Jeok Cheon-Gang suddenly raised his voice.

“Stay. Here!”

“Whoa, no need to shout!”

“Quiet. If you follow me, you’ll regret it!”

As I stood there, watching Jeok Cheon-Gang disappear into the cabin, I suddenly felt a chilling gaze and instinctively turned my head.

And there, looking at me with eyes drier than the sand near the Sphinx’s paws, was Moon Kyung.

‘Shit, I should’ve just followed him.’

Who cares if Jeok Cheon-Gang yelled at me?

Being alone with someone who could kill me in an instant was way worse. I’d rather dive into the Yangtze River than deal with this.

“Nice weather today. Don’t you feel like going for a swim?”

“Huh?”

Wait. What the hell?

Was this Mind Reading King stuff real?

For a split second, an unsettling suspicion crossed my mind.

Without realizing it, I glanced around, half-expecting to see a royal guard carrying an iron club.

And that’s when—

Whoosh!

Something struck through the air.

No, it wasn’t just an attack.

It was a sharp, precise force that cut through space itself.

The moment I heard the piercing sound slicing toward me, I instinctively crossed my arms to block it.

But Moon Kyung was a peerless assassin, and the attack he sent my way was not something I could easily defend against.