Chapter 94: Face-Stealing Hand Gu Mun
Deep wrinkles twisted around the old man's mouth.
“Heh... hehehe....”
The moment I heard that laugh, chills ran down my spine.
I instinctively held my breath.
Still suppressing my presence with Void Night Shadow Step, I carefully studied the old man's face.
...That face?
The grotesque old man's features, illuminated by candlelight, looked strangely familiar.
And in that instant...
an old memory surfaced along with the stench of blood.
An underground chamber with no ventilation.
Iron bars.
A floor soaked in blood.
A Shadow Corps facility.
It wasn't a place that held only kidnapped test subjects.
Very occasionally...
the corpses of outside martial artists were brought in as well.
Some of them were people the Righteous Alliance had executed as public enemies of the martial world.
And one of those men had been...
Face-Stealing Hand Gu Mun.
A villain who had lived by stealing countless identities through disguise arts.
He approached his victims while wearing the faces of their closest family members or friends...
then committed assassinations and sexual crimes.
I had once seen Gu Mun's corpse brought into the facility.
His true face had been such an ugly old man's face that it had remained in my memory even until now.
And yet...
that very face was smiling in front of me.
Alive.
Breathing.
Face-Stealing Hand Gu Mun looked down at Qin Yueshu.
“Say it again.”
His lips curled.
“What is it you want from this old man?”
Qin Yueshu's lips had gone pale.
The hand holding the candle trembled violently.
“...Please.”
“Give me my son back.”
Gu Mun smiled coldly.
“Didn't this old man already tell you?”
“If you uphold your promise...”
“your son will return to you safely.”
Qin Yueshu's voice shook.
“I... I did everything.”
“Everything you told me to do, Lord Gu Mun....”
Gu Mun's eyes gleamed coldly.
“Everything?”
He tilted his head.
“Then what happened today?”
His voice sharpened.
“The Merchant Group Head woke up.”
“And you were looking around that room like a frightened rat.”
Qin Yueshu flinched.
“Th-That was....”
Gu Mun spoke slowly.
“This old man is rather patient...”
His grin deepened.
“but I wonder how long that patience will last.”
"..."
“If you care about your son's life...”
“don't test my patience again.”
At that moment...
the situation finally came together in my head.
Hostage.
It seemed Gu Mun had hidden the real Myeong Munhyeok somewhere.
Then infiltrated the merchant group while pretending to be him.
No doubt...
he had done all of this so he could monitor Qin Yueshu from close range and control her from behind the scenes.
Qin Yueshu...
Just what the hell did you promise this old monster?
I silently continued watching them.
Qin Yueshu spoke as though trying to defend herself.
“The Merchant Group Head waking up wasn't my doing.”
“It was those Taoists from Kunlun....”
Gu Mun cut her off.
“Don't say stupid things.”
He reached out and grabbed Qin Yueshu by the chin.
Her eyes filled with terror.
“There is only one reason I called you here tonight.”
His voice lowered.
“Just because Myeong Chiwon woke up...”
“don't even think about changing your mind.”
"..."
“Depending on your choice...”
“your son's life will be decided.”
Qin Yueshu's eyes filled with tears.
“Please...”
“Please, just spare my son....”
Gu Mun smiled.
“Do not worry.”
“As long as you keep your promise...”
“everything will proceed naturally.”
"..."
The corner of his mouth rose.
Then...
Crack.
Crk-crk.
The bones of his face began twisting.
The sagging skin tightened.
The wrinkles around his mouth vanished.
His eyelids lifted.
And after only a few moments...
Gu Mun's ugly face disappeared.
The young face of Myeong Munhyeok stood there once again.
He looked at the terrified Qin Yueshu.
“Then I trust you understand.”
Even Gu Mun's chilling voice changed.
It became the neat, young voice of Myeong Munhyeok I'd heard during the day.
“There isn't much time left.”
“You must fulfill your promise before it's too late.”
Now wearing Myeong Munhyeok's face again...
Gu Mun calmly opened the warehouse door and disappeared as though nothing had happened.
The moment he vanished from sight...
Qin Yueshu collapsed to the ground.
She covered her face with both hands and spent a long while simply gasping for breath.
Eventually...
she forced herself back up.
With a hollow expression, she left the warehouse and slowly returned to her residence.
I watched until she went inside.
Then I immediately returned to the detached residence where the Kunlun group was staying.
Everyone was waiting for me.
Jin Gwangung.
Hyeongwon.
Myeongjeon.
All three were still awake.
Jin Gwangung nervously licked his lips.
“What happened?”
I answered with a stiff expression.
“I think my suspicion was correct.”
He frowned.
“Correct? What do you mean?”
“Lady Qin Yueshu appears to have been involved in Merchant Group Head Myeong Chiwon's unconscious state.”
Everyone's eyes immediately locked onto me.
“Here's what happened....”
I explained everything I'd witnessed in the warehouse.
Qin Yueshu meeting Face-Stealing Hand Gu Mun.
And the fact that Gu Mun was using Myeong Munhyeok as a hostage to threaten and control her.
“...That's what I saw.”
The moment I finished...
Jin Gwangung slowly nodded.
“Hmm. Gu Mun....”
He frowned.
“A wanted public enemy of the martial world who disappeared without a trace.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I never imagined that old monster would be hiding inside the Myeong Family Merchant Group.”
Hyeongwon immediately raised his voice.
“If he's a public enemy of the martial world, shouldn't we arrest him right now?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“We can't move recklessly.”
Hyeongwon frowned.
“What are you talking about? We should at least—”
I cut him off.
“If we make the wrong move...”
“Myeong Munhyeok could die.”
Myeongjeon immediately asked,
“Are you sure my brother is still alive?”
“Qin Yueshu asked Gu Mun to ‘give her son back.’”
I answered carefully.
“At the very least...”
“it appears he's still alive for now.”
Hyeongwon started again.
“Then all the more reason to catch Gu Mun quickly—”
“Do you still not understand?”
I cut him off firmly.
