"What should we do?"
At Cheon Kyungwan's question, Byeok Taesan paused to deliberate.
Byeok Taesan had an unexpectedly accurate grasp of his current situation.
Although he often appeared reckless when taking action, he always operated within clearly defined boundaries.
If there had been only one person lurking in the darkness ahead, exuding the scent of blood, he wouldn't have hesitated.
The problem, however, was that there were two of them.
One was the man who had come yesterday and lost an arm, while the other was someone that man had brought along.
The one-armed man was keeping a considerable distance.
It was likely that even Cheon Kyungwan hadn't noticed his presence.
The closer one, however, was stronger in every aspect than the one-armed man.
The quality and quantity of the aura he emitted were on a higher level, and the smell of blood emanating from him was much thicker.
Still, Cheon Kyungwan would be able to handle that one.
In the past, it might have been uncertain, but now it was certainly possible.
The real issue was the other man.
"Well… this much should be manageable."
After concluding his calculations, Byeok Taesan gave an order to Cheon Kyungwan.
"Go kill him."
Both Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon flinched at the command to kill.
However, Cheon Kyungwan quickly regained his composure and nodded.
Without hesitation, he leaped forward.
BOOM!
A fierce sound rang out from the darkness.
Yoo Seoyeon's eyes widened in shock.
"They were really there…"
How could they have hidden so close without her sensing them?
Both Cheon Kyungwan and Byeok Taesan had noticed, yet she hadn't.
Yoo Seoyeon's gaze shifted to Byeok Taesan.
"Don't look at me—look over there."
"Pardon?"
"There's more than one."
At that moment, a chill ran down Yoo Seoyeon's spine.
She hurriedly drew her sword.
Someone was charging toward her at incredible speed.
If Byeok Taesan hadn't warned her, she would have been caught off guard.
Clang!
She swung her sword hastily, unable to put her full strength into the attack.
Even so, it was enough to block the ambush for the moment.
Yoo Seoyeon stepped in front of Byeok Taesan, glaring at her attacker.
It was the one-armed man from the previous day.
A faint smirk formed on the man's lips. He had gauged her skill during their brief exchange.
Even with one arm missing, this was manageable.
He didn't need to win outright. His goal was singular.
The man charged again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yoo Seoyeon gritted her teeth, parrying his relentless strikes while seizing every opportunity to counterattack.
It seemed like an evenly matched fight, but the man held a slight advantage.
Yoo Seoyeon, aware of this, grew increasingly anxious.
If Cheon Kyungwan didn't finish his battle soon and return, she might fail to protect Byeok Taesan standing behind her.
Still, she resolved to defend him at all costs.
Yeon Harin wanted this man protected, after all.
Yoo Seoyeon's sword moved faster and more aggressively.
The man, pretending to block her attacks, was actually conserving his energy.
Gradually, he allowed himself to be pushed back.
Yoo Seoyeon pressed harder.
"Tsk tsk, inexperience shows during moments like this," Byeok Taesan remarked from behind.
The comment jolted Yoo Seoyeon back to her senses.
At that instant, something shot up from beneath her feet with a faint whoosh.
It was a small flame—an improvised trap the man had set earlier.
It wasn't intended to harm her but to create a brief opening.
Yoo Seoyeon fell for it, magnificently.
The man's movements flowed like water as he slipped past her side.
Yoo Seoyeon swung her sword belatedly, slashing his back.
Slash!
"Too shallow!"
Yoo Seoyeon's face twisted with urgency as she twisted her body to pursue him.
Her joints protested audibly, but she ignored the pain.
Her blade aimed for the man's back, now streaked with blood.
But the man's body had already reached Byeok Taesan.
"No!"
Yoo Seoyeon channeled more strength into her sword.
Pusshk!
Her blade pierced into the man's back.
At the same time, the man's sword drove toward Byeok Taesan's heart.
That was what it clearly looked like.
"Huh?"
The man let out a dumbfounded noise.
Yoo Seoyeon couldn't even manage that. Shocked, she stared wide-eyed at the scene created by the man and Byeok Taesan.
The man's sword was lodged precisely in the space beneath Byeok Taesan's armpit.
Rather than piercing his heart, it had struck the gap under his arm.
In that moment, Byeok Taesan's hand moved in a graceful arc, lightly tapping the man's chin.
It was, quite literally, just a tap.
As if playfully patting a child's cheek, it was a gentle touch.
The man staggered, then crumpled sideways.
Thud.
Yoo Seoyeon stood frozen, staring at the sight.
"Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to clean this up?"
"Oh, yes. R-right, I'll handle it."
Hurriedly, Yoo Seoyeon knelt to inspect the fallen man.
He was already dead.
Her eyes darted between the corpse and Byeok Taesan, wide with disbelief.
'How in the world?'
Her mind was a storm of confusion.
Amid her bewilderment, Byeok Taesan's muttering reached her ears.
"Well… at least his spirit was decent."
Yoo Seoyeon gazed blankly at Byeok Taesan.
Oddly enough, those words made her feel strangely good.
While she was lost in thought, Cheon Kyungwan returned.
Once again, he bowed deeply to Byeok Taesan.
"My apologies."
"It's fine as long as you understand."
Byeok Taesan pointed at the corpse with his finger.
"Make sure to preserve it properly."
"Yes, don't worry."
There might be valuable information to glean from the body—his face, the state of his meridians, the items he might have carried, tattoos, his physique—everything was a potential clue.
'Not that I expect much from someone like him.'
In the Demonic Cult, there were specialists for this kind of work.
People who were unnaturally obsessed with corpses.
It had been on a whim that Byeok Taesan decided to have the body preserved, but he wasn't expecting much.
"Let's go."
When Byeok Taesan began walking again, Yoo Seoyeon asked in a strained voice, "Even after this, you're still going to the brothel?"
"If anything, this gives me more reason to go."
To Byeok Taesan, it was the obvious choice.
The soul essence he had used to kill the man had caused a meridian he restored yesterday to weaken.
To reinforce it, he needed more spiritual energy.
Thus, going to the courtesan house to absorb the spiritual essence from souls stained by chaos was a necessity.
As they walked, Cheon Kyungwan spoke from behind.
"Young Master, you've taken the wrong path. There's no courtesan house this way."
Byeok Taesan stopped and turned around.
With a disdainful look, he stared at Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon.
"Why did I come this way? This is a deserted place with no courtesan houses."
"Well, that's because…"
Cheon Kyungwan began to respond but closed his mouth.
It wasn't like Byeok Taesan to make such an error.
After all, Byeok Taesan was a genius born with severed meridians.
"You two must be neglecting your training."
At Byeok Taesan's comment, Yoo Seoyeon bristled.
While she couldn't vouch for others, she prided herself on her dedication to training.
Even if Cheon Kyungwan had recently surpassed her, hearing such words from Byeok Taesan felt ridiculous.
"I will take your words to heart," Cheon Kyungwan said, bowing.
Yoo Seoyeon glanced at him in shock.
Was he serious?
"Whatever you're doing, keep your senses open—whether you're training, walking, eating, or even sleeping."
Yoo Seoyeon gaped at him in astonishment.
Did he even realize how absurd that sounded? How many people in the world could achieve such a state?
Unable to hold it in any longer, she retorted, "How many people could actually do that?"
Byeok Taesan answered immediately.
"Plenty. Off the top of my head, I can name about five hundred people I know personally. Including those I don't know, it would be far more."
With that, Byeok Taesan smirked and glanced at Yoo Seoyeon.
"Well, living within the limits you've set for yourself isn't entirely bad either."
Yoo Seoyeon felt as if a bolt of lightning had pierced straight from her crown to her Gushing spring acupressure point at Byeok Taesan's words.
She stared at Byeok Taesan in a daze, her mind spinning with countless thoughts.
Byeok Taesan approached her and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Snap out of it."
Startled, Yoo Seoyeon quickly regained her composure.
She then looked at Byeok Taesan with a mixture of frustration and annoyance.
She had been so close to grasping something, only for Byeok Taesan to interrupt and break her concentration.
"Don't dwell on it here. Save it for when you have time later. If you can't grab hold of it again, it was never really yours to begin with."
With that, Byeok Taesan turned and resumed walking without hesitation.
Yoo Seoyeon watched his back, still in a daze, before following him as if drawn by an invisible force.
Cheon Kyungwan quietly sidled up beside her.
"Seems you've received quite a valuable gift. The Young Master must have taken a liking to you."
At those words, Yoo Seoyeon suddenly recalled something Byeok Taesan had muttered earlier.
"My fighting spirit is decent…"
Before she knew it, a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"Where is this place?"
"The source of the smell of blood."
At Byeok Taesan's reply, Cheon Kyungwan looked at the crumbling house ahead with renewed curiosity.
Byeok Taesan's earlier remarks came back to him with startling clarity.
So, the Young Master must have been training his senses… continuously?
Was it because he had kept his senses sharp that he could follow the trail left by that man all the way here?
"Is that guy inside the house?"
"Of course not."
"Pardon?"
"Why would anyone walk straight in, knowing who or what might be waiting?"
Cheon Kyungwan stared blankly at Byeok Taesan.
To Yoo Seoyeon, Byeok Taesan's behavior was beginning to feel unfamiliar.
She had thought he moved impulsively whenever the mood struck him, but now it was clear that wasn't the case.
"Then…"
"We're just checking things out."
Though Cheon Kyungwan had no idea what they were confirming, he decided to leave it at that.
Who was he to fathom Byeok Taesan's thoughts?
Both Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon watched Byeok Taesan with tense eyes.
"I expected the scent of blood…"
Byeok Taesan's lips curled into a strange smile.
"But there's the scent of filth as well."
That was all Byeok Taesan said before he turned on his heel.
"Let's head back now."
Cheon Kyungwan and Yoo Seoyeon silently watched his retreating figure as he strode away.
Though they couldn't say for certain, it was clear something significant was brewing.
And it was all centered around Byeok Taesan.
With resolute expressions, the two followed after him, their demeanor eerily similar.
"What's on your mind?"
Cheon Kyungwan's question snapped Yoo Seoyeon out of her thoughts.
She offered a wry smile.
"Just… thinking about various things."
She glanced at Cheon Kyungwan with a peculiar expression.
"So, you can engage in casual conversation after all?"
Cheon Kyungwan averted his gaze awkwardly, still finding it difficult to meet her eyes directly.
"You should take this time to carry on with the insight you gained earlier. There's still a long way to go before it's over."
Yoo Seoyeon gave him a look of disbelief.
She turned her head to gaze at the hall where Byeok Taesan had entered.
From inside, the sounds of groans and screams—whether of pain or anguish—continued without pause.
Her gaze fell on the corpse lying in front of Cheon Kyungwan.
"And you expect me to focus on understanding my insight in a situation like this?"
Cheon Kyungwan looked back at her and calmly said,
"Didn't the Young Master say it earlier? If the insight is truly yours, you can grasp it at any time."
Yoo Seoyeon recalled the words somewhat differently, but the gist was the same.
Why not give it a try, even in this environment?
"Then, I'll leave things to you for a moment."
"Take as long as you need."
Yoo Seoyeon smiled softly at him, then closed her eyes, focusing on the fleeting moment of clarity she had earlier.
As if by magic, she quickly slipped into a state of deep concentration.
Cheon Kyungwan watched her with a faint wry smile.
Moments like this reminded him that her natural talent surpassed his own.
Standing beside her like an unwavering sentinel, he protected her.
The eerie sounds from the hall served as the backdrop to their quiet vigil.