**Chapter 113**
“Is it you, Somi?”
Hyuk Min-woo looked down in surprise at Somi, who was sprawled like a sticky rice cake on his lap.
“Are you saying you’re a spiritual being?”
“Woof woof!”
Is there a problem?
Somi, the Ice spirit, barked discontentedly, not hiding his displeasure.
Hyuk Min-woo marveled.
“Wow… I didn’t expect someone so adorable to be so intelligent.”
“Woof.”
You’re a bit perceptive, huh?
With this sentiment in mind, Somi wagged his tail.
Hyuk Min-woo, who had been looking at Somi with satisfaction, stood up.
“Please wait a moment; I’ll respond soon.”
“Woof woof!”
Hyuk Min-woo took out writing materials and sat down.
He meticulously wrote out everything that had happened so far, as well as the questions Yerin had asked.
After finishing the letter.
Hyuk Min-woo was about to tie the letter back around Somi’s neck when he suddenly paused.
‘Hmm?’
He had the feeling that he was missing something.
A furrow formed on his brow.
After a moment.
‘Come to think of it, that woman……’
It had already been three days since the woman whose husband was missing had last visited him.
Hyuk Min-woo felt his heart sink.
Even after Yerin and Doyul went to the Dang Sect, the woman had continued to visit.
She had begged him to find her husband, inquired about the progress of the investigation, and sometimes vented her frustration.
He had thought her desperation was the reason and had let it be.
‘This is troubling.’
A shiver ran down his spine, as if a cold hand had brushed across his back.
Of course, he might have been overreacting.
It wasn’t unusual for the woman to miss a few visits; she might have had other matters to attend to.
Rationality told him so, but…
‘It’s still suspicious.’
His instincts were rejecting rational judgment.
‘I need to look into this myself rather than leaving it to my subordinates.’
Overwhelmed by a creeping sense of unease, Hyuk Min-woo clenched his fist.
—
That evening.
When Somi returned with Hyuk Min-woo’s reply, he collapsed into a corner, exhausted.
– ‘Oh, I’m so tired.’
“Did our Somi come back?”
Yerin gently scratched Somi’s chin.
While she was playing around with Somi.
Doyul’s face hardened as he opened Hyuk Min-woo’s reply.
“Madam.”
“Yes?”
Yerin, who had been smiling while playing with Somi, lifted her head with a grin that quickly froze.
“It seems that the woman has also gone missing.”
“The woman…?”
Yerin’s eyes widened in shock.
“Are you talking about the pregnant woman?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take a look as well.”
Yerin took the letter from Doyul.
It was just as Doyul had described.
Both the man who was the Ice Palace’s worker and his pregnant wife had gone missing.
And Hyuk Min-woo was starting his own investigation.
“Since Hyuk Min-woo said he would investigate personally, let’s wait and see.”
Doyul reassured Yerin.
Yerin nodded heavily.
“…Alright.”
It was the only thing she could do.
No matter how suspicious the current situation was, there was nothing Yerin could immediately do.
But.
‘I didn’t expect the woman to disappear too.’
With the series of disappearances involving the Blood Cult and the warnings from the Martial Alliance, Yerin’s heart felt heavy, as if a stone had been placed upon it.
—
Several days passed.
When Yerin first entered the Dang Sect, she had expected a relatively leisurely life.
However, she found herself surprisingly busy.
Though she didn’t enjoy it, she occasionally met with the Dang Sect Lord for conversations or meals.
But what kept her busiest was…
“Madam, may I challenge you to a sparring match?”
“Please teach me a technique!”
The Dang Sect’s martial artists were constantly requesting to spar with Yerin.
It seemed that the Dang Sect Lord was pressuring them to assess her skills.
“Well, alright.”
Yerin intentionally accepted these sparring requests.
She had her own reasons for doing so.
‘If I want to stay in the Dang Sect for a long time, it’s best to pique the lord’s interest.’
To find out the secrets the Dang Sect Lord was hiding, Yerin had to remain in the Dang Sect as much as possible.
Moreover, it was difficult for the martial artists to fully grasp Yerin’s skills.
With that in mind, Yerin engaged in sparring with the martial artists.
This led to an unexpected reaction.
“Certainly, the rumors about being one of the top martial artists in the martial art world weren’t unfounded.”
The martial artists developed a favorable opinion of Yerin.
“The Northern Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts lord praised her endlessly.”
“I also asked for a sparring match, and she agreed willingly.”
“Did you? I did too. Even though it was a sparring match, it felt like receiving guidance.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? To see someone so young display such skill. Talent truly is remarkable.”
However, this favor came with a downside: it incited Dang Yejun’s resentment.
‘Everywhere I go, it’s Dang Yerin, Dang Yerin, Dang Yerin!’
Dang Yejun, too, had ears and couldn’t avoid hearing the martial artists gossip.
Dang Yejun felt his insides churn with frustration.
‘Damn it!’
He thought that if he could leave this place quickly, he wouldn’t have to hear about Dang Yerin anymore.
With this determination, Dang Yejun quickened his pace.
But…
“Compared to our young lord…”
He heard an unfavorably charged voice, and Dang Yejun’s face contorted with anger.
The topic had shifted to Dang Yejun.
“It seems the young lord is somewhat lacking compared to the madam.”
“Hey, comparing the young lord to the madam is an insult to the madam.”
One martial artist clicked his tongue.
“By the way, when was the last time we saw the young lord practicing martial arts?”
“Not only that, the young lord doesn’t even stay in the main halls.”
“Oh, wandering around the various places?”
Hearing the blatant sneering, Dang Yejun’s patience snapped.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, he abruptly appeared before the martial artists.
“Gasp!”
“T-The young lord?!”
The martial artists, who had been laughing and mocking, froze in fear like mice before a cat upon seeing Dang Yejun.
Dang Yejun, with an agitated voice, demanded an explanation.
“What were you just saying?”
“Y-Yes? I-I mean…”
“We’re sorry!”
The martial artists, terrified, bowed their heads deeply.
Dang Yejun tilted his head slightly.
“Is saying ‘sorry’ all there is?”
At the sharp tone, the martial artists turned pale.
“We’re truly sorry, we didn’t know the young lord was present…”
“So, are you saying that it’s acceptable to speak ill of me in my absence?”
“N-No, that’s not what we meant…”
The martial artists were sweating profusely.
Dang Yejun’s eyes sparked with fury.
And then.
Wham!
A punch imbued with inner energy struck the chin of the martial artist who was making excuses.
The martial artist flew towards the wall like a puppet with its strings cut.
Crash!
The wall partially collapsed from the violent impact.
“Cough!”
The martial artist convulsed on the ground and began to spit blood.
He had sustained internal injuries.
Other martial artists, horrified, rushed to stop Dang Yejun.
“Young Lord!”
“You can’t do this!”
The condition of the martial artist was quite serious.
Though it was just a single punch, the inner energy had rattled his brain.
However, Dang Yejun paid no attention to the martial artist writhing on the floor.
Instead.
“Ah, are you all trying to stop me now?”
Dang Yejun cast a disdainful look over the martial artists.
“Is this how you treat the future lord of the Four Heavenly Dang Sect?”
“T-That’s not what we meant…”
“You need to treat him immediately. With these internal injuries, he could become disabled if not treated properly!”
The martial artists desperately shouted in unison.
But Dang Yejun just sneered dismissively.
“Well, you shouldn’t have talked carelessly. Who told you to speak freely?”
At that moment.
“What on earth is this commotion?”
A calm voice resonated.
Yerin had returned after briefly stepping away to wash off her sweat.
Yerin’s eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation.
‘This is…’
One martial artist lay on the floor like a crumpled paper doll.
Foam was coming from his mouth, and his eyes were unfocused.
It was evident he was in a critical condition.
Yerin urgently commanded.
“What are you all doing? Take that martial artist to a physician immediately!”
“Who are you to give orders!”
Dang Yejun, infuriated, raised his voice.
“Those are the orders of the young lord! Don’t lay a finger on him!”
“I’ll take full responsibility. Get him to a physician right away.”
Conflicting orders were given.
For a moment, the martial artists looked at each other, unsure.
“…”
“…”
Eventually, the martial artists bowed deeply to Yerin.
“Yes, Madam.”
“Thank you.”
Then they quickly rushed to the injured martial artist.
Dang Yejun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“This is unbelievable!”
As the young lord of the Four Heavenly Dang Sect, Dang Yejun, and Yerin, who had become the mistress of the Northern Sea Ice Palace through marriage, both held significant authority within the Dang Sect.
In principle, it was clear whose orders the martial artists should follow.
Yet, they chose to follow Yerin’s commands instead of Dang Yejun’s.
