SYM 7

“Phew, this is a very important matter to me. Where did you hear that word?”

“Ah, Great Hero Ha, you’re curious about where I heard the saying ‘dog sh1t’, right? But before I answer, may I ask why you want to know?”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un looked at Eun-hyeon for a moment.

Eun-hyeon hesitated as he met Ha Yeo-un’s deep, unwavering eyes. Facing those eyes, he felt like his inner thoughts were being completely laid bare.

“That word… it was something used by the person I’m searching for.”

“The person you’re searching for?”

Eun-hyeon tilted his head in confusion.

“Yes. It was a phrase used by my master who disappeared long ago. Today was the first time I’ve heard someone else use it, besides him.”

“Ah… I see.”

Eun-hyeon looked at Ha Yeo-un with his brow slightly furrowed.

He could understand being surprised to hear a saying he had used before, and asking where it came from.

Eun-hyeon, who had been a Taoist of Kunlun, had passed away more than 20 years ago.

Why would Ha Yeo-un use the word ‘searching’?

Although Ha Yeo-un’s face appeared expressionless, Eun-hyeon, who had known his disciple Cheong-un for a long time, could see other things.

The tightly clenched jaw showed tension, and the wavering gaze revealed an obsessive determination.

It didn’t seem like a joke or a prank at all.

“Well, I heard the saying ‘dog sh1t’ from a physician. As you know, I’ve been sick since childhood, and many physicians have visited me. I learned that expression from one of the physicians I met as a child.”

The expression ‘dog shit’ was a habit he used to blurt out when he was escorting Un around.

There was no way there would be someone else with that same verbal habit in the Central Plains besides himself, so he gave a vague explanation. In reality, countless physicians had passed through Namgung Eun-hyeon, so even if Ha Yeo-un tried to track them down, it wouldn’t be easy.

“Then do you know the name of that person? His age? How did he look?”

Ha Yeo-un leaned forward across the table and suddenly grabbed Eun-hyeon’s hand.

Eun-hyeon flinched.

Eun-hyeon tried to pull his hand away, but Ha Yeo-un didn’t budge.

“Uhh, Great Hero Ha…”

When he looked up, his eyes met Ha Yeo-un’s. He couldn’t believe this was the same Ha Yeo-un, who seemed indifferent to worldly affairs. The tense expression on his face seemed more suited to the Heavenly Demon than Ha Yeo-un.

Ha Yeo-un’s expression remained unchanged, but his presence was entirely different.

Captivated by Ha Yeo-un’s intense presence, Eun-hyeon belatedly realized that Ha Yeo-un had moved so close that their faces were almost touching.

Eun-hyeon took a small breath. They were too close, close enough to feel each other’s breath. Eun-hyeon’s startled face was reflected in Ha Yeo-un’s dilated pupils.

His heart was pounding loudly as if something was broken inside him.

“Uh, Great Hero Ha, your hand, your hand…”

Eun-hyeon averted his eyes, his face flushed with embarrassment.

He wasn’t a shy teenage girl, so why was he suddenly acting like this?

Eun-hyeon pressed his hand to his chest.

This rapid heartbeat must be the guilt of someone hiding something.

“Young Master Namgung, this is very important to me. Do you remember anything?”

Not knowing how to respond, Eun-hyeon opened and closed his mouth with a flushed face and shook his head.

“He was a very old man. He has likely passed away by now. Since I saw him for such a long time, I don’t know the details.”

At Eun-hyeon’s words, Ha Yeo-un’s face contorted. Seeing the pain in his expression, Eun-hyeon instinctively looked away.

Somehow, that face resembled Un’s when he had just escaped from the Demon Sect as a child.

Un had been full of resentment and venomous anger, yet his eyes were filled with loneliness during those times.

Twenty years is a long time, enough for the landscape to change twice over.

Yet, even after all these years, why did Ha Yeo-un’s eyes still hold the same look as back then?

This fact saddened Eun-hyeon deeply.

“If someone as renowned as Great Hero Ha publicly announced that you were searching, many people would surely come to help.”

“That’s not an option.”

Ha Yeo-un shook his head with a heavy expression and let out a deep sigh.

“This matter is highly confidential, so I can’t speak much about it. The person I’m searching for… let’s just say he’s my teacher.”

Ha Yeo-un’s voice had a bitter undertone. It seemed he didn’t want to discuss it further, but Eun-hyeon couldn’t let it go.

He was certain that he was dead. Yet, Ha Yeo-un was searching for him.

Could it be that Ha Yeo-un thought he was still alive?

“…Your teacher, Great Hero Ha?”

“Yes. My teacher is known to have passed away a long time ago.”

“…What? Then, are you saying the person you’re searching for is someone who has already passed away?”

Eun-hyeon couldn’t help but question it.

“I’ve discovered evidence that my teacher is still alive, and I’m following that lead.”

“…So you say there is evidence that your teacher is alive…?”

What was he hearing right now?

Alive…?

Who?

Him…?

Eun-hyeon stammered in confusion. He understood the words but couldn’t comprehend them. At that, Ha Yeo-un let out a small chuckle as if amused by something.

“I’m not expecting the Young Master to understand. My teacher was everything to me. If you happen to remember anything, even the smallest detail, please tell me.”

“…Understood.”

“By the way, I’ve been quite rude today.”

“No, not at all. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

Ha Yeo-un’s low sigh filled the quiet room. He looked utterly exhausted.

Eun-hyeon’s mind was in turmoil.

Could it be that his assumptions were wrong? He was certain that Ha Yeo-un was Un, but was he mistaken?

Or was it that Un had not accepted his death and was deluding himself into thinking he was still alive?

Eun-hyeon had no idea how to make sense of all this.

Not knowing what was going on, he couldn’t speak carelessly.

Even if he told the truth, it was doubtful that the suspicious Ha Yeo-un would believe him. If things went wrong, he could end up being accused of trying to deceive the Heavenly Demon.

And seeing that Ha Yeo-un still hadn’t escaped from the shadow of his past, Eun-hyeon thought it might be better not to say anything.

“It’s getting late, so I should take my leave now.”

“Ah, w-wait a moment, Great Hero Ha!”

As Ha Yeo-un was about to open the door and leave, Eun-hyeon hurriedly grabbed him.

Ha Yeo-un paused with the door open and turned his body.

“What is it?”

Behind Ha Yeo-un, the full moon was visible in the pitch-black sky.

The moonlight gently settled on Ha Yeo-un’s face.

Eun-hyeon involuntarily took a step back.

The Ha Yeo-un standing before him now felt unfamiliar.

The man in front of him was not the promising young leader of the Orthodox Sect, Ha Yeo-un, nor was it his young disciple, Cheong-un.

The man before him had perfectly concealed his malicious nature and wore a gentle expression, but his essence was that of the Heavenly Demon.

Clearly, Ha Yeo-un had been disguising his true nature as the Heavenly Demon Lord, but it seemed he couldn’t completely hide his true temperament.

“Young Master, state your business.”

Eun-hyeon, who had been staring blankly at Ha Yeo-un, snapped back at Ha Yeo-un’s prompting.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry. If… if your master is alive but has hidden himself… wouldn’t there be a reason for it?”

Ha Yeo-un looked at Eun-hyeon and smiled softly. The slight curve of Ha Yeo-un’s lips could have been mocking Eun-hyeon or perhaps even himself.

“…That’s possible.”

“Then, trying to find him might go against his wishes…”

“That doesn’t matter. If he’s in hiding, it must be because of some difficulty. But so what? I’ll solve it.”

Whatever the problem might be, Ha Yeo-un believed he could handle it. It was an arrogant claim, even for someone as renowned as the young leader of the Orthodox Sect.

But when considered as the words of the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Demon Sect, the weight of the statement was entirely different.

Although the Demon Sect had lost some of its religious fervor over time, the absolute authority of its leader remained unchanged.

When the Heavenly Demon, the absolute ruler of the sect, declared that no problem was too great, the significance was profound.

Eun-hyeon felt his mouth becoming dry.

“And if you do find your teacher, what will you do?”

“If I find my teacher.”

Ha Yeo-un’s gaze drifted into the distance, his eyes hazy as he looked at someone not present.

Eun-hyeon couldn’t help but bite his lip as he watched Ha Yeo-un.

“Well, I’ve imagined it so many times that it’s hard to put into words. But one thing’s certain: I won’t be separated from him again.”

With those words, Ha Yeo-un swiftly disappeared.

Eun-hyeon stood there, mulling over those words until the air in the room grew cold.

He had a feeling that revealing himself as Ha Eun-hyeon might not be a good idea.