Chapter 19

Finally, Gong Hyeok-rin also gave up on the mismatched performance and set down the lute. He scratched his cheek sheepishly and said.

"Junior Brother, you often sigh with a deeply troubled expression. It bothers me so much that I can't just leave it be."

"...Did I do that?"

"And you frequently play the zither, don't you? Even if I can't play, I'm not deaf."

Cheong-ra had indeed often fallen into vain delusions, recalling how Dang Ran-yeong had mercilessly crushed him. It seemed that to others, it appeared as if he couldn't forget the feeling of defeat.

Unable to say that Dang Ran-yeong was unforgettable in a different sense than what they thought, even if it meant death, Cheong-ra showed a desolate expression, just as Gong Hyeok-rin had said. It wasn't difficult. He lowered his eyes and slightly tilted his head to the side. Then he let out a small sigh.

"I apologize for worrying you, Great Senior Brother. My mind has been somewhat troubled recently. I will pull myself together soon."

"Oh, Junior Brother..."

Having watched him grow up since childhood, if Song Geum-hye was like a sister to Cheong-ra, Gong Hyeok-rin was like a brother. Seeing his junior brother's troubled expression, Gong Hyeok-rin unconsciously rummaged through his sleeve. It was when he unintentionally took out a candy, as if dealing with a young Cheong-ra who had been dejected all the time.

"Great Senior Brother. Senior Brother Baek Ri."

A young junior brother came running and swallowed hard upon seeing the candy. It was a reflexive reaction, as the kind great senior brother always carried snacks for the young junior brothers. Gong Hyeok-rin smiled and held out the candy, which the young junior brother gratefully accepted and said.

"Master is calling for the senior brothers."

Hearing those words, Gong Hyeok-rin entrusted Cheong-ra's zither and his own lute to the young junior brother and immediately set off. Master Oh Tae-ryeong wasn't the type to be affectionate with her disciples. It meant that she rarely gathered her disciples to eat together or give lectures. However, upon arriving, for some reason, all of Oh Tae-ryeong's direct disciples were gathered.

"Disciple greets Master."

Gong Hyeok-rin and Cheong-ra respectfully greeted Oh Tae-ryeong.

Direct disciples are different from registered disciples who have only listed their names in the sect. The elders and branch leaders keep an eye on talented children among the newly admitted disciples and accept them as their formal disciples. These are the direct disciples who can be considered the core workforce of Moon Lake Sect, and they can directly learn martial arts from their master that are not allowed for registered disciples.

The disciples of Oh Tae-ryeong present here, including Gong Hyeok-rin, Song Geum-hye, Baek Ri Cheong-ra, and Ju Mu-gwang, were personally accepted by her as disciples. Therefore, they had grown up together like siblings since childhood and were closer than blood relatives. Everyone had a puzzled expression at their master's sudden summons.

"Good, everyone is here."

Oh Tae-ryeong carefully scanned the faces of her disciples one by one and began to speak.

"You all know that Cheong-ra went down to Dragon Spring last time because of the disappearance of the Dragon Gate Sect's disciples."

As his own story suddenly came up, Cheong-ra became slightly tense. Thoughts of Dang Ran-yeong came to mind again, but he quickly erased them from his head since he was in front of his master. Now was the time to focus on his master's words.

"According to the Dragon Gate Sect's investigation, the missing disciples were regulars at a place called Plum Blossom Inn. And Plum Blossom Inn sold something called Enlightened Mind Tea to its regulars."

The Dragon Gate Sect, sensing something suspicious about Plum Blossom Inn mentioned by Cheong-ra, immediately launched an investigation. As a result, the truth that Cheong-ra, as an outsider, could never have uncovered was revealed. The Dragon Gate Sect's martial artists, already agitated because of Dang Ran-yeong, swarmed in like a swarm of bees and intimidated a frightened official, who promptly confessed what his son had consumed.

Plum Blossom Inn was selling Enlightened Mind Tea, claiming it was a medicinal decoction that improved brain function. Indeed, drinking Enlightened Mind Tea made one's mind clear and increased concentration.

However, as people continued to drink Enlightened Mind Tea for a long time, withdrawal symptoms began to appear. They became violent as if drunk and endlessly demanded Enlightened Mind Tea, making it no different from a drug. In short, Plum Blossom Inn was selling not a medicinal decoction that improved brain function, but a drug decoction.

After his son, suffering from withdrawal symptoms, had beaten someone to death, the official had kept his mouth tightly shut. Rather than feeling guilty, he only feared that his son might be next when he heard that the regulars of Plum Blossom Inn were being attacked. Instead, his son was immediately handed over to the authorities and imprisoned.

However, they couldn't figure out why the spirit beast had come down to Dragon Spring and only attacked the places where the regulars lived. Oh Tae-ryeong said that the spirit beast had never appeared again, as if it had run far away for good. But the problem didn't end there.

"During the investigation, it was discovered that some of our sect's disciples had also frequented Plum Blossom Inn. And three of them attacked our sect's disciple and immediately fled, disappearing without a trace."

As Oh Tae-ryeong finished speaking, everyone realized how serious the situation was. It was more than just the whereabouts of the lay disciples becoming uncertain. This was enough to spread as a scandal for Moon Lake Sect.

'No wonder the atmosphere was bad and busy whenever I went to the medical hall for treatment recently.'

The injured disciples' conditions must have been quite bad. Now that things had come to this, they were no longer the sect's disciples but criminals.

"According to the Beggar Sect's investigation, the three missing individuals headed towards Hubei. It may take a long time to track them down and capture them, so I will accept volunteers."

Cheong-ra's mind snapped to attention. As soon as Oh Tae-ryeong finished speaking, Cheong-ra stepped forward and volunteered.

"Master, I will go."

The sound of Song Geum-hye's worried sigh could be heard. Cheong-ra pretended not to hear it and fixed his gaze on Oh Tae-ryeong, who also had a displeased expression.

"Cheong-ra. I know your body hasn't fully recovered yet."

"No, Master. The head of the medical hall said I no longer need to recuperate."

"That doesn't mean you've fully recovered."

"Master... I beg you. Please allow me to make up for the task I failed last time."

As Cheong-ra knelt and pleaded, looking up earnestly, Oh Tae-ryeong sighed. If it were any other disciple, she would have sternly reprimanded them, but Cheong-ra was her most cherished one. Moreover, it wasn't that she didn't understand Cheong-ra's feelings. As she kept her lips tightly closed, Song Geum-hye quickly came to Cheong-ra's side and took his side.

"Master, I will go with Cheong-ra."

"I-I will too."

Ju Mu-gwang, who had been accidentally pushed forward by Gong Hyeok-rin from behind, ended up volunteering as well. He glanced back, but the great senior brother only feigned ignorance. Oh Tae-ryeong sighed and nodded.

"Alright, then Geum-hye, Cheong-ra, and Mu-gwang will take on this task."

"Thank you, Master."

As Oh Tae-ryeong gave her permission, Cheong-ra expressed his gratitude. Even though a master like Dang Ran-yeong had interfered, it had been weighing on his mind that he hadn't properly completed the previous mission. Moreover, since the vain delusions related to Dang Ran-yeong wouldn't easily subside, he needed something else to focus on. Suddenly, something came to mind, and he spoke.

"Master, did the junior brothers mention this as well?"

"What are you referring to?"

Cheong-ra revealed that he had a feeling Dang Ran-yeong was somehow connected to the spirit beast attack incident, that the person named Hwan-hong, whom he had brought along, seemed to be guiding the spirit beast's gaze to a specific place by throwing hidden weapons, and that the spirit beast had taken that object and fled. Oh Tae-ryeong listened attentively to the story. Judging from her reaction, it seemed that Lim Jeong and the junior brothers hadn't had a chance to report it due to the chaos.

"That object could be the cause that made the spirit beast attack."

"I thought so too, Master."

"I will have that matter investigated separately."

With his master's promise, Cheong-ra felt much more at ease. After receiving detailed instructions from Oh Tae-ryeong regarding the mission, he was about to return to his quarters. Gong Hyeok-rin, who had been loitering around with a face that indicated he had something to say, approached Cheong-ra directly and spoke with a serious expression.

"Cheong-ra, if you ever encounter that bastard Dang Ran-yeong again, don't recklessly rush at him, claiming to seek revenge."