Chapter – 22

“Ugh, what a pain.”

I grumbled as I neatly stacked the guy who had once again passed out spectacularly into a corner.

Seriously, what was with this? Why did every single one of them come at me just to get knocked out in one hit?

And not a single one even noticed my ambush.

If they’d spent this effort training instead…

Instead of kidnapping kids and scheming to lure women. It pissed me off, so I decided they deserved a few more hits.

After giving each of them a few extra, fair punches, I proceeded to turn the hideout upside down—literally searching it as if combing for lice.

A warehouse thick with cobwebs, drawers layered with dust. I searched meticulously.

And the result was—

Nothing.

“…Is it really possible for there to be this much nothing?”

Aside from the pill the first guy had on him, there was absolutely nothing else.

Unable to believe it, I searched through the unconscious men’s clothes.

And then I was certain.

These guys aren’t from the Blood Cult.

Blood Cult, my ass. It was embarrassing to even compare them.

With a long sigh, I shook the pouch containing the pills.

“Then do I really have to go back and find that big guy from the Dark Shadow Society?”

No one was listening, but I complained loudly anyway.

All that effort investigating, only for it to be a letdown.

“Dark Shadow Society…”

I didn’t recognize the name. And honestly, this kind of operation was far too small-scale to be the Blood Cult.

Kidnapping kids? Seducing women?

If it were really the Blood Cult, they wouldn’t bother with pills. They’d just drag people off.

They were monsters who captured spirit beasts for experiments. Kidnapping ordinary humans would’ve been child’s play.

I stopped paying attention to the crumpled figures in the corner. This was enough. It was time to go back.

“…Ah.”

I suddenly looked myself over.

My body—after being searched thoroughly, every nook and hidden spot included—was a complete mess.

Cobwebs and dried straw clung stubbornly to my clothes.
My neatly combed hair was a disaster, and my clothes were smeared dark with grime.

I shook myself and brushed at the webs and dirt, but there was no saving the fabric.

Should I just turn back into a tiger and go home?

I imagined it briefly, then shook my head.

No matter how I thought about it, a tiger trotting around with a pill pouch in its mouth would draw way too much attention.

Besides, humans are afraid of tigers.

Even if I wasn’t the Mountain Lord, humans would instinctively recoil in fear.
Even in a child’s form, as long as I had an inner core, ordinary people would sense it.

“…Let’s just go back.”

I didn’t know how to clean these clothes anyway. I’d have to ask Sehwa.
And really, I handled everything—who cared if I was a bit dirty?

Except for the first guy, none of them had even seen my face. They could talk all they wanted.

Though… would they even be able to?

A grown man getting knocked out while trying to bully a child?

…Even if you replaced “child” with “spirit beast,” it was still too embarrassing to admit.

I glanced at the man crumpled at the very bottom. Remembering how he’d crouched in the corner sobbing only made him seem more pathetic.

I’ll ask the fox.

As the head of an information guild, he should be able to handle silencing people.

For now, I needed to get back to Cheonwol Pavilion as fast as possible.

I made sure not to forget the pill pouch and stood up.

If I didn’t hurry, I’d transform back into a tiger on the way. I needed to move fast.

Meanwhile, Cheonwol Pavilion was in absolute chaos.

A guest who had managed to defeat the entrance guards and earn entry was now sprawled unconscious in a corner like a sack of grain.

But Sehwa was worried about something else entirely.

The Mountain Lord is gone…!

Neither in tiger form nor as a child—there was no sign of her anywhere. Sehwa’s face drained of color.

When she told the others, their faces turned pale as well, and they immediately began searching for the child.

But they found no trace.

“Could it be… that the one who beat up the guest kidnapped her…?”

“T-this is bad!”

“Organize search parties immediately. We must ensure Lady Hyeryeong’s safety.”

“Yes!”

At Sehwa’s calm command, the Cheonwol Pavilion warriors bowed sharply.

“What’s all this noise about?”

A voice rang out—one no one wanted to hear right now.

“L-Lord Proprietor.”

“What kind of commotion has everyone scrambling for Hyeryeong? And what happened to that guest?”

The Pavilion Master, apparently just returned, scratched at his white fox mask in confusion.

Sehwa closed her eyes tightly and reported everything that had happened.

“……”

The Pavilion Master said nothing. But everyone could feel the atmosphere shift.

“For now, keep that guest under watch.”

“Pardon?”

“Not all guests are gentlemen. It would be rude to let him leave before hearing his side of the story, wouldn’t it?”

At the cold order, Sehwa bowed her head. But that wasn’t all.

“And find Hyeryeong. Immediately.”

“Yes.”

The frost in his voice made everyone realize it instinctively.

If they failed to find the child, they wouldn’t be safe either.

The warriors stiffened and were just about to move—

“Uncle. You came back early.”

A voice echoed—far too composed and dignified to belong to a child.

Everyone turned toward it.

There stood a filthy-looking child.

Thud.

“Hyeryeong!”

The Pavilion Master dropped what he was holding and rushed over, pulling the child into his arms.

What on earth had happened for her to end up this dirty? She looked like a beggar—no one would have questioned it.

“Where did you go?! Are you hurt anywhere?”

At his near-shout, the child blinked slowly.

“I’m not hurt. Someone just took me.”

“Who? Who took you?!”

“They said if I ate candy and stayed still, I’d get to see Sister Sehwa. So I followed them.”

At the child’s innocent words, everyone’s faces hardened.

“…Hyeryeong. Was there a big man with them? Someone holding a large saber?”

“Hm…? Ah, yeah. That guy.”

The child nodded repeatedly.

The Pavilion Master turned his head.

“Lock that bastard up.”

“Yes.”

“But why are your clothes so dirty?”

“I played hide-and-seek. Then I thought Sister might be waiting, so I came back…”

The child glanced up nervously.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no. You did well.”

“I did?”

“Yes. Really. But next time, before following a stranger, ask your sister or the guards at the entrance first, okay?”

At his gentle instruction, the child nodded.

“Okay. I understand.”

“Good girl.”

The Pavilion Master carefully patted the child’s tangled hair.

“Sehwa. Prepare a bath for her.”

“Yes.”

“And you—go find the place she was taken to. There will be accomplices.”

“Yes!”

“Hyeryeong, do you remember where you went?”

“I haven’t forgotten yet. So…”

The warriors nodded as the child calmly explained the route.

Their mission was clear: capture the group that had tried to use the child as bait to kidnap Cheonwol Pavilion’s courtesans.

Eyes sharp with resolve, the warriors rushed out.

Without even looking at them, the Pavilion Master carried the child back inside.

“So… you’re saying the Mountain Lord thoroughly crushed that big guy?”

“Mm. That’s right.”

“And on top of that, you raided their hideout and wiped them all out?”

“They were weaker than their size suggested. No endurance, no grit.”

The fox pressed a hand to his forehead.

Meanwhile, the Mountain Lord leaned lazily against Sehwa, looking utterly relaxed.

[By the way… why did you come back so early? What about Jimjo? Is he in a tree nearby? You hate him that much? Enough to return this early?]

He grumbled internally, surprised by the early return.

If she’d come back just a little later, everything would’ve been handled and no one would’ve known.

[Say something. You just finished early, and Jimjo hates mixing with humans anyway.]

At the fox’s comment, the Mountain Lord pretended not to hear, twirling her damp bangs around her finger.

Fresh from a warm bath, her cheeks were rosy and her skin dewy.

Sehwa gently brushed and dried her hair.

“But I had no choice. That big guy attacked me first.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure that bastard is dealt with properly.”

“I already took care of him myself… Oh, right. Look into this.”

“Look into what?”

“That big guy seems to belong to something called the Dark Shadow Society. But here’s the problem.”

The Mountain Lord pulled out a small bundle from her waist and handed it to the fox.

[…This is?]

[Something he handed to a guy at the hideout. It’s from the Blood Cult.]

[…What?]

[So it’s worth investigating.]

[All right. I’ll also analyze what’s in these pills.]

They needed to know exactly which herbs were used and what effects they had.

The unexpected appearance of the Blood Cult darkened the fox’s expression.

They really existed? Then why didn’t the Hao Sect’s information network catch it?

His thoughts raced.

No matter how weakened she is, the Mountain Lord is still the Mountain Lord. If things are serious enough that she had to act personally…

His instincts were warning him.

The Blood Cult could never be taken lightly.

If their influence had already reached Luoyang, where Cheonwol Pavilion stood, underestimating them would mean exposing one’s vital point.