Soho and Hao were resting in a quiet room prepared for them.
The weight of the earlier events still clung to the air like dust.
Soho glanced at Hao and asked softly,
"What are you thinking about?"
Hao didn't answer at first.
He sat there with a distant, defeated expression… as if something inside him was breaking all over again.
Finally, he spoke.
"When we were running toward the shelter… I really thought we were going to die."
His voice trembled.
"And I thought my brother — the one who was running ahead — would live."
He clenched his fists.
"But… he didn't."
A bitter, painful smile twisted onto his lips.
"What a cruel thing fate is.
The one who ran toward death survives…
and the one who ran for his life dies."
His shoulders shook slightly, but he forced himself not to cry.
"Why does it always work like that…?
Why do the ones who deserve to live… never get the chance?"
Soho stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on Hao's shoulder.
"We survived for a reason," he said quietly. "We still have a mission. We have to carry our friends' dreams… their will. We have to keep moving forward."
Hao nodded faintly, trying to steady his breath.
They were still talking when—
BANG!!!
The door slammed open so violently it struck the wall.
Hao and Soho jerked their heads toward it—
more than twenty men stormed inside, surrounding them in an instant, weapons drawn.
Soho shot to his feet, fury burning in his eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
A cold, steady voice answered from behind the group.
"It seems obvious, doesn't it?"
Seojin walked in slowly, hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips.
"We're here to arrest a criminal."
Soho's frown deepened. Hao stepped forward.
"What criminal?" Hao growled. "Do you see anyone else here besides us?"
Seojin's smile widened just a little.
"Oh, I wasn't talking about anyone else…"
He raised his hand and pointed directly at them.
"I was referring to you two."
Hao's eyes widened.
Soho's jaw clenched.
Seojin continued calmly, his voice echoing through the room:
"As of this moment, you are both suspects of colluding with the Blood Cult.
You provided false information, stalled our forces, and because of that—an entire city was slaughtered."
Hao felt his blood boil.
"Are you insane?! Do you think I would ever work with those monsters!? WHO SAID THAT?!"
Soho stepped forward as well.
"This is slander!"
Seojin did not even blink.
"That will be decided after the investigation."
He turned to the soldiers behind him.
"Restrain them. If they resist… kill them."
The men stepped forward, weapons ready.
In the Murim world, resisting an arrest was the same as admitting guilt.
If a suspect fought back—even for a moment—they were immediately branded a criminal and could be executed on the spot.
Hao and Soho both knew this.
So even though rage burned in their chests… even though the accusation was unbearable…
they had no choice.
They slowly raised their hands in surrender.
Weapons pressed against their backs, ropes tightened around their wrists, and the twenty men closed in to escort them away.
In silence and humiliation…
Hao and Soho obeyed.
Because in the Murim world, innocence meant nothing.
Only power decided the truth.
In the cold dungeon, Hao and Soho sat in silence.
Just half an hour ago, they were heroes returning from a nightmare.
Now their lives had been flipped upside down.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then Hao finally muttered, his voice trembling with forced hope:
"They won't find anything. We told the truth. Once they investigate… they'll set us free."
Soho's shoulders shook. He let out a bitter laugh.
"Innocent? Hao… are you really this innocent, or are you pretending to be?"
Hao frowned, confused.
"What are you talking about?"
Soho lowered his head, his voice quiet but heavy:
"They're not searching for the truth. They're going to create evidence… against us."
Hao's eyes widened.
"That's impossible. The Alliance— they stand for justice! How could they do something so unjust?"
Soho slowly shook his head.
"I know… because I used to do that kind of work for them," he whispered.
"I planted evidence. I silenced witnesses. I framed people whenever the higher-ups needed someone to blame."
He looked at Hao with hollow eyes.
"This time… it's our turn."
Hao's voice trembled.
"No… it can't be. What did I do wrong to end up like this…?"
All his life, he had believed in his master's words:
"If you do good, good things will happen to you.
No one is above justice — whether strong or weak."
Those words were the one thing Hao never doubted.
He always tried to do good for others.
When his master was poisoned, Hao suspected Abbot Mingyuan.
But because of his master's teachings —
"he who does wrong will pay for it in the end" —
Hao didn't take revenge.
He lived his life defeating evil and protecting the weak.
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
It was Abbot Mingyuan.
"Let me tell you what you did wrong."
Hao's eyes widened in shock as the Abbot continued:
"You opposed me."
Hao snapped.
He lunged toward Mingyuan, pure rage exploding inside him —
but the iron gate slammed between them, stopping him.
Mingyuan stepped closer to the bars and whispered:
"Let me tell you the truth…
I was the one who killed your master."
Hao froze.
Then he went mad.
He punched the iron door again and again, roaring like a beast.
"I'll kill you! Get me out of here! LET ME OUT!"
But his meridians were sealed —
he couldn't use qi, couldn't break the door, couldn't do anything.
"I WILL KILL YOU, MINGYUAN!"
The Abbot only looked at him with a satisfied smile…
then turned and walked away without another word.
Hao screamed until his voice cracked. When his strength finally ran out, he collapsed on the cold floor, tears streaming down his face.
"Why… why… why…"
Soho watched quietly.
He gently patted Hao's shoulder. He didn't say anything. There were no words left that could help