Chapter 86 : Does This Look Like a Favor?

Chapter 86: Does This Look Like a Favor?

Late at night.

After closing up shop, Seo Yu-gyeom rose from his seat where he had been sitting cross-legged, eyes wide open.

‘What the hell is he doing?’

He had figured out that Jin Seong-un had been playing the role of a thief lately.

No matter what, they’d spent nearly every day together over the past few months—there was no way he wouldn’t recognize him just because he had a mask on.

Seo Yu-gyeom headed straight for Jin Seong-un’s quarters.

“Hey, you in there?”

No answer came.

Seo Yu-gyeom nodded as if he expected that.

“Of course not. What is he trying to steal today?”

Muttering to himself, Seo Yu-gyeom stepped outside the inn.

He had to know what this guy was up to.

The reason was simple.

‘It just looks fun.’

Seo Yu-gyeom walked through the heart of Yichang’s marketplace.

The later-generation prodigies, who had seemingly lost their fighting spirit, were now tearing through the night streets in chaos for some reason.

Each one held a note that said “Justice.” Clearly, the thief had stirred up yet another commotion.

Whether it was a real thief or Jin Seong-un, he couldn’t be sure.

Seo Yu-gyeom searched every corner of Yichang.

With his knack for stealth, he figured if he really put his mind to it, he could find Jin Seong-un.

But he was nowhere to be found.

After about half a shichen had passed, most of the later-generation prodigies gave up and began returning to their lodgings.

‘He definitely went out to steal something…….’

It was extremely rare for Jin Seong-un to disappear at night. No—other than this recent situation, it had never happened.

As far as Seo Yu-gyeom could tell, Jin Seong-un had no interest in anything other than running the inn.

He didn’t meet women, he didn’t go out drinking. He definitely wasn’t the type to enjoy a stroll or sightseeing.

So his absence could only mean one thing: theft.

“You in here?”

Seo Yu-gyeom opened the lid of a steamer at a dumpling shop as he asked. Of course, there was no way he’d be there.

And then—

Bang!

Seo Yu-gyeom’s head whipped around.

It was faint, but he clearly heard it.

Looking around, it seemed none of the other prodigies had heard anything.

Feeling a subtle sense of superiority, Seo Yu-gyeom dashed off in the direction of the sound.

If something like that went off in the dead of night, it could only mean one of two things:

Either some prodigies got drunk and started fighting—or Jin Seong-un was up to something.

Either way, it sounded like fun to him, so he didn’t hesitate.

Perhaps out of habit as an assassin, Seo Yu-gyeom instantly calculated the direction and distance of the sound.

He arrived at none other than the Yichang branch of Wuhanzhuang Bank.

He’d heard that this was where Jin Seong-un had once clashed with some guy named Gi Ryong or whatever.

At the front gate stood a burly martial artist, eyes wide open, keeping a vigilant watch.

Most would instinctively avoid someone with such a fierce appearance—but that didn’t apply to Seo Yu-gyeom.

He walked straight up to the man and asked,

“Is Jin Seong-un in there?”

The brawny man glared at him.

Seo Yu-gyeom met his gaze with his signature icy stare. The man’s glare softened just a bit.

‘Guys like this are always gentler than they look.’

Murmuring this eternal truth to himself, Seo Yu-gyeom asked again.

“Answer me, you bastard.”

“What, you mute?”

“He’s not here.”

Seo Yu-gyeom’s eyes narrowed.

The guy’s attitude was far too suspicious for him to just walk away. And if his calculations were right, the explosion definitely came from inside this place.

“Didn’t you hear a loud noise coming from inside?”

“No such thing happened.”

“You’re lying.”

Seo Yu-gyeom’s suspicion deepened.

Just then, familiar faces showed up.

“Seo Master, what are you doing here?”

It was Tang So-yeon.

With her were Baek Sang, Baek Seol, and Seomun Ak.

Whether they had been drinking or chasing the thief, the four of them arrived together.

Seo Yu-gyeom got straight to the point.

“I think Jin Seong-un is inside, but this guy won’t move.”

The brawny man’s expression grew even more docile.

As a member of the Sima Clan, he recognized these later-generation prodigies from prestigious families.

Compared to Seo Yu-gyeom, who was just an inn cook, these heirs and disciples of noble clans were far more intimidating.

Tang So-yeon narrowed her eyes at the man and asked,

“Is what he said true?”

“I told you, he’s right.”

Tang So-yeon gave Seo Yu-gyeom a baffled look.

Still, she couldn’t just dismiss him. She’d heard plenty about his feats in Deyang.

“We just want to take a quick look. We’re on good terms with Sima, so it’ll be fine.”

But the man didn’t seem ready to move aside.

A brief standoff ensued.

The man had a duty to guard the entrance—he couldn’t simply yield.

Tang So-yeon, Baek Sang, Baek Seol, and Seomun Ak somewhat understood his position.

But Seo Yu-gyeom was different.

Slap—!

Seo Yu-gyeom slapped him across the face, and despite his size, the man collapsed to the ground.

“Move aside, seriously.”

Seo Yu-gyeom stepped over him and opened the door.

The stunned prodigies hesitated for a moment before hurrying after him.

At the rear, Seomun Ak glanced once at the fallen guard with a look of odd sympathy before entering.

The unexpected arrival of Seo Yu-gyeom and the later-generation prodigies sent the Sima Clan martial artists into a flurry.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with sharp, blade-like eyes.

“What is the meaning of this?”

He asked.

The prodigies, including Tang So-yeon, looked somewhat uneasy.

The man before them was Sima Won, a Captain of the Sima Clan.

Sima Won continued,

“Everyone, leave at once. Even if you’re the young heir of the Tang Clan, you can’t just barge into someone’s residence. Let me make it clear—this is grounds for a formal complaint to the Tang Clan.”

Tang So-yeon hesitated.

Even she admitted this was a bit forced.

But Seo Yu-gyeom had no intention of backing down.

“Jin Seong-un is in there, isn’t he?”

“…What?”

Sima Won’s tone changed instantly.

Unlike with the heirs of the Tang Clan, Wudang Sect, or Seomun Clan, he felt no need to be polite to an inn cook.

“Where’s Sima Hwi? With that temper of his, he should’ve stormed out and started glaring at us by now.”

“…H-how dare you say such nonsense!”

Sima Won’s face twisted in disbelief.

No one had ever been this rude to the Sima Clan.

Still—he had been hit right on the mark.

The Eldest Young Master was in the back garden, maintaining a formation.

It was still in its early stages, so he had to personally stabilize it to keep it secure.

“The Eldest Young Master is out. The thief hasn’t been caught yet.”

“Is that so?”

Seo Yu-gyeom nodded and moved to enter as naturally as could be.

Sima Won immediately grabbed his shoulder. A clear wave of killing intent radiated from him.

At the same time, Seo Yu-gyeom’s gaze dropped low and cold.

‘Making a fuss, huh?’

On his way over, Seo Yu-gyeom had thought it through.

Why would Jin Seong-un be acting like a thief?

It was likely to provoke the real thief. In fact, ever since Jin Seong-un started moving, that thief had shown up again.

So what was the real purpose of that provocation? To corner the thief into a predictable location.

If Seo Yu-gyeom’s guess was right, tonight was the night. The stele had vanished just last night. That thing wasn’t something you could steal unless you were completely insane—or rather, it was a giant boulder.

His deduction, the explosion he’d heard earlier, and the overreaction of the Sima Clan all confirmed his theory.

The doubt lingering in Seo Yu-gyeom’s mind solidified into certainty.

“Let go.”

But Sima Won only tightened his grip. Seo Yu-gyeom calmly drew the Heaven-Slaying Dagger from his robe.

Slice—!

Thin red lines appeared on Sima Won’s elbow and wrist. He hadn’t severed anything—just sliced the surface.

“Urgh!”

Sima Won hunched over, clutching his arm. Blood dripped steadily.

It was a clean cut through muscle—he’d recover with a few months of rest. On the other hand, he’d be eating with his left hand for a while.

“Y-Young Master!”

Tang So-yeon and the other later-generation prodigies flinched in shock at Seo Yu-gyeom’s sudden action.

At that moment, a shout rang out from the main gate.

“What in the world is going on here?!”

Seo Yu-gyeom turned his head.

Namgung Rin, the Sword Phoenix, and Baek Li-joong stood at the gate, eyes wide in surprise.

“This is a misunderstanding. These guys are hiding Jin Seong-un.”

That was Seo Yu-gyeom’s explanation.

But then again, thinking about it, the act of drawing his blade wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding—so he gave up explaining further.

Baek Li-joong, the eldest son of the Baek Li Clan, unsheathed his greatsword and bellowed.

“You cur! Just how little do you think of the righteous Murim!”

He charged at Seo Yu-gyeom.

“W-Wait!”

At the same time, Seomun Ak unleashed his energy and stepped in between. Baek Li-joong glared at him for a moment before swinging his sword.

Seomun Ak quickly ducked his head. The blade grazed just above his scalp.

His eyes glazed over slightly. He’d been holding back for a long time, but his natural temperament was that of a wild dog.

“You crazy bastard!”

Energy surged into Seomun Ak’s fists.

The scene quickly devolved into chaos.

The Sima Clan’s martial artists, witnessing their captain’s injury, were now fully riled up.

Killing intent erupted from all sides.

Namgung Rin, too, unsure where this was headed, drew her Azure Sky Sword.

Her action roused Baek Sang and Baek Seol.

“Why are you drawing your sword?”

“I—I wasn’t….”

It was sheer madness.

And in the middle of it all, the one who’d brought the place to this mess with just two strikes—Seo Yu-gyeom—walked in nonchalantly.

The Sima Clan martial artists tried to stop him, but Tang So-yeon and Baek Seol stepped forward to block them instead.

Seo Yu-gyeom walked through Wuhanzhuang Bank with a calm expression. His steps soon led him to the rear courtyard.

Sima Hwi glanced over. His body movements were awkward.

Seo Yu-gyeom immediately recognized the reason.

‘He’s maintaining a formation.’

As an assassin, he had learned a fair bit about formations.

Seo Yu-gyeom hesitated. If he killed the guy in that state, would the formation collapse?

Some formations were harder to break if the caster died mid-process.

After a brief pause, Seo Yu-gyeom asked,

“Where are you hiding Jin Seong-un?”

Sima Hwi scoffed.

“Nonsense. You’ve clearly lost your mind. Just how are you planning to clean up this insanity?”

“Hot in there? It’s not even midsummer, and you’re sweating.”

It was obviously because he was pretending to be composed while maintaining the formation and still speaking and moving. It was as dangerous as moving while circulating qi.

Seo Yu-gyeom smirked.

“Your face is pale too. Just hand over Jin Seong-un. Then I’ll quietly leave.”

“I don’t know why you’re looking for that arrogant inn waiter here.”

Sima Hwi kept denying it.

There were quite a few people supporting that damn waiter. If caught, things would get annoying.

Seo Yu-gyeom’s face chilled.

“Does this look like a favor to you?”

The two locked eyes in silence.

Sima Hwi was maintaining the formation, speaking, moving, and bearing Seo Yu-gyeom’s icy killing intent—all at once. His insides were churning wildly.

Then—

Rumble—!

A powerful tremor shook the ground.

Not just Seo Yu-gyeom—everyone looked around in alarm.

The formation masters working with Sima Hwi turned pale.

The shaking continued.

RUMBLE—!

This time the entire building quaked like an earthquake had struck.

The prodigies and martial artists who had been arguing outside all rushed in.

Judging by the lack of blood, it seemed no one had fought seriously.

“Y-Young Master!”

The formation masters, despite knowing they shouldn’t distract the Eldest Young Master, called out instinctively.

A massive rupture had appeared within the formation.

Of course, Sima Hwi himself knew that best. He set aside dealing with the intruders and focused entirely on the formation.

As long as Jin Seong-un wasn’t found, he could deny everything. Even if they were suspicious, without a corpse, what could they do?

But if the formation failed now, everything would spiral out of control.

That possibility simply didn’t exist.

‘This is a formation with no living exit!’

Sima Hwi pushed aside one of the formation masters and fully immersed himself in stabilizing the formation…

“This bastard is the one!”

Seo Yu-gyeom’s anger exploded at the sight, and he gripped the Heaven-Slaying Dagger tightly—

BOOOOM—!!!

A raging crimson flame tore the air apart.

At the same moment, the formation masters collapsed, blood streaming from their mouths and noses.

Sima Hwi also coughed up a mouthful of blood, chunks of flesh mixed in—it was clear his inner energy had suffered severe damage.

Then, from the crimson rift in the air, Jin Seong-un walked out step by step. The black sword in his right hand vanished into smoke the moment he passed through.

“Jin Seong-un!”

Seo Yu-gyeom called out happily.

All eyes turned to the figure stepping out behind Jin Seong-un, wearing a mask and looking awkward.

Jin Seong-un looked briefly at Sima Hwi and the collapsed formation masters, then spoke before anyone could ask.

“Let’s go. It’s over.”

As always, his tone was indifferent.