Chapter 54
When Moomyung returned to the inn, Jeogal Haesu and Namgung Jin were nowhere to be found.
They must have realized too late that both he and the Millennium Snow Ginseng were gone, and had rushed out to search.
Moomyung quietly sat on the first floor of the inn, waiting endlessly for their return.
He knew that part of the blame for this situation lay with him, so he had to explain everything properly once they came back.
The two men finally returned just as the sun was setting, their steps heavy and faces pale.
And the moment they entered, they spotted Moomyung.
“Moomyung!”
“You little brat!”
Despite being the weaker martial artist, Jeogal Haesu grabbed Moomyung by the collar without hesitation.
Moomyung’s small body was lifted clean off the ground.
“Who the hell are you? Why did you approach us? What do you know—don’t tell me you’re—”
“Enough.”
The one who stopped Jeogal Haesu’s fury was Namgung Jin.
He caught Moomyung, who was dangling helplessly in midair.
“There are too many eyes here. Let’s go back to the room and talk. Losing your temper won’t help anything.”
“…Fine.”
Indeed, the few guests scattered around the inn were already watching them.
To anyone unaware of the circumstances, it looked like two grown men were bullying a child.
They whispered among themselves.
Jeogal Haesu finally realized how it must look.
He took a deep breath, then forced his face into a calm expression. The anger that had been twisting his features melted into a graceful smile.
He gave a polite bow of his hands and said to the onlookers,
“My apologies for the disturbance. The child traveling with us made a mistake, and I, being an unworthy adult, lost my temper. I’ll talk to him gently now, so please don’t worry.”
At his words, the murmurs died down.
Jeogal Haesu smiled at everyone as they made their way upstairs, pretending nothing serious had happened.
But the moment they stepped into the room where they had last seen Soso, his face hardened again.
“Moomyung, you brat. Don’t even think about running. We know you stole from us.”
Moomyung silently raised his finger and pointed at something — as if he already knew what was there.
It was Soso’s writing brush and paper.
When they placed them in front of him, Moomyung immediately began to write.
Jeogal Haesu watched with strange fascination as the boy calmly brushed the ink across the page.
‘Even though two grown men are looming over him, he doesn’t flinch in the slightest.’
Moomyung didn’t make a sound, didn’t cry, didn’t tremble. His demeanor was utterly still — calm like the surface of a quiet lake.
Even the strokes of his brush were steady and controlled.
‘He’s not like a child at all… more like a sage.’
What exactly was he?
Perhaps, once they found out what happened to Soso, they should kill him.
Jeogal Haesu’s eyes darkened with murderous intent.
Before long, Moomyung stopped writing. Jeogal Haesu and Namgung Jin leaned forward to read the words.
“I thought it was a bellflower root. I wanted to sell it to buy sweets for Sister Sam. But then a man took it away from me.”
“Who was it?! Who was that man?!”
Jeogal Haesu slammed the table with a thunderous thud.
Kidnapped? Soso was kidnapped?
If someone had discovered that the supposed “bellflower root” was actually the Millennium Snow Ginseng…
Jeogal Haesu’s vision went black.
It was the same feeling as when he’d first heard that his elder brother had been abducted by the demonic cult — his sight had gone dark, and his chest had felt like it was being crushed.
He glared down at Moomyung.
“Write! What are you waiting for?!”
Moomyung quickly moved his brush again.
“He was a man wearing a black hat. Other than that, I don’t know… I’m sorry…”
“Myeong, did you really think that was just a bellflower root?”
Jeogal Haesu grabbed Moomyung’s shoulders and shook him.
Moomyung’s brow creased slightly in pain, and Namgung Jin seized Jeogal Haesu’s wrist.
“That’s enough. If the boy truly meant harm, he wouldn’t have come back.”
“But—!”
Namgung Jin pushed Jeogal Haesu’s hand away and fixed Moomyung with a sharp gaze.
“Myeong, I’ll ask one last time. Were you truly uninvolved in the disappearance of that ‘bellflower’? Did you really only want to buy sweets?”
Though he had stopped Jeogal Haesu from roughing the child up, Namgung Jin quietly released a thin killing intent.
It wasn’t enough to harm the boy — but enough to make lying impossible.
Moomyung’s body trembled violently as the aura washed over him.
His face turned white, and he nodded frantically.
‘I can’t say I completely trust him… but there’s no point in pressing him further.’
Namgung Jin withdrew his killing intent.
“Myeong, forgive me. I had no choice.”
Moomyung barely managed to nod before collapsing face-first onto the table.
“Are you alright?”
There was no reply. Moomyung had fainted.
Namgung Jin sighed and laid the boy gently on the bed.
“Haah… Brother, what do we do now?”
“What else? We have to find her.”
“I want to — but where do we even start…?”
“We’ll start by searching the area. That man in the black hat — we’ll find him. It’s better than sitting here doing nothing. And also…”
Namgung Jin sent a soundless transmission to Jeogal Haesu.
[It’s possible that Lady Baek’s original form has returned.]
“Damn it. Damn it all!”
“There’s no time to waste. Let’s go.”
They were reluctant to leave Moomyung alone, but they couldn’t carry an unconscious child while trying to rescue someone.
Namgung Jin handed a few coins to the innkeeper and asked him to look after the boy until they returned, then left the inn.
Just then, a voice echoed in Namgung Jin’s mind — a transmitted message.
[Young Master, it’s Daewoo.]
“…!”
Daewoo — a Shadow Moon agent who once owed Lady Baek his life.
[Please come to the back of the inn.]
Hearing this, Namgung Jin called to Jeogal Haesu.
“Jeogal Haesu! This way!”
Perhaps Daewoo had a lead — or even a plan to find Lady Baek.
Behind the deserted inn, just as the two men arrived, a black-clad figure appeared soundlessly before them.
Swish—
Daewoo knelt before Namgung Jin, head bowed.
“Why were you near the inn where I’m staying?”
“I was acting under the Lord’s orders.”
“…My father?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t tell me he still suspects Lady Baek?”
“Absolutely not.”
Though the situation was urgent, Daewoo couldn’t reveal every detail — especially not Namgung Seonyul’s secret orders.
“I was carrying out another mission, observing from a distance so that Lady Baek wouldn’t notice me.”
“Then why reveal yourself now, in the middle of that mission?”
Namgung Jin’s eyes dropped to Daewoo’s arm — a fresh wound.
“Don’t tell me… you fought someone suspicious?”
Daewoo began to explain carefully.
“When the boy called Moomyung suddenly ran out of the inn alone, I followed. He seemed suspicious.”
“And then?”
“He bumped into a man while running. The man didn’t help him up — instead, he picked something up from the ground.”
Lady Baek.
There was no doubt in their minds.
Both Namgung Jin and Jeogal Haesu were certain.
