“So you lost him?”

“......I’m sorry.”

Muyeon rarely showed up. That was true even in front of the lord, Mo Yonggun.

Yet Muyeon had appeared in person and bowed the head. It meant Muyeon truly didn’t know where to put the shame this time.

Mo Yonggun let out a soft chuckle.

“No. I should’ve warned you in advance how clever that bastard is. If there’s fault, it’s mine, not yours.”

It only made the heart feel worse. Worse still because Muyeon knew Mo Yonggun meant it.

“Remember one thing. That bastard can never harm me. At least, not here.”

“Yes.”

“If it happens again, just move exactly as ordered. No more, no less.”

“I understand.”

“You’ve worked hard. You should get some rest, too.”

Slip.

Muyeon vanished without a word.

It was a staggering level of movement arts. Even though Mo Yonggun was watching openly, Muyeon scattered and disappeared like mist. It felt less like movement arts and more like daoist arts—some kind of sorcery.

Mo Yonggun smiled.

“So it was that urgent, he had to resort to petty tricks?”

Forgiving Muyeon was natural. Muyeon didn’t truly know Yeon Hojeong. Until recently, Muyeon had served within a clan rather than the Alliance, and only started following after this matter began.

And thanks to Muyeon’s existence, Mo Yonggun could see just how pressed Yeon Hojeong was.

It would’ve been even better if Muyeon had learned what the other side truly was, and why Yeon Hojeong was acting so urgently—but even this alone was a worthwhile harvest.

Just then, a messenger pigeon flew to the window.

Mo Yonggun received it with familiar hands and unfastened the letter tied to its leg.

“Mm. Fast.”

A satisfied smile touched Mo Yonggun’s face.

“If nothing else, at least in Hunan Province, we’re better than the Beggars’ Union.”

Ink Dragon Manor truly had guts.

Then again, when the master of the place was one of the ten Immortal Sovereign Kings, it wasn’t hard to understand how they could coil up their nest in a region where a wing of one of the Six Great Clans held power.

Still, the preparation for dealing with them had to be more thorough.

Ink Dragon Manor would never understand how savage Mo Yonggun could be if Mo Yonggun truly set the mind to it—how poisonous the resolve could become.

Mo Yonggun neatly folded a letter already written and tied it to the messenger pigeon’s leg.

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE!

Sending it off again, Mo Yonggun took a sip of tea.

“This tea tastes good.”

Now the preparations were complete. Once the reply came back, everything would be finished.

“Do your best, Commander Yeon. You need to rampage properly if I’m going to save face.”

*****

Four days later.

“Whew. It’s done.”

“You worked hard.”

“Worked hard, my ass. You’re the one who’s been grinding.”

“Then we’ll say I did.”

Je Gal Ahyeon let out a small laugh.

“Fine. You did all the work.”

It sounded like a joke, but it was also Je Gal Ahyeon’s honest feeling.

What is this bastard, really?

Je Gal Ahyeon had thought about it countless times, but truly couldn’t even guess where the limits of Yeon Hojeong’s ability might be.

Breaking through the wall of martial arts just after coming of age? It was something that would shock the whole world—but if you accepted that Yeon Hojeong was born with once-in-an-era talent, that was the end of it. Freak geniuses had always existed.

But that wasn’t why Yeon Hojeong was terrifying. Je Gal Ahyeon didn’t think Yeon Hojeong’s true threat was martial arts.

Did he really come into the world with the makings of a king?

While making Ink Dragon Manor’s reorganization plan, Je Gal Ahyeon couldn’t stop being stunned by Yeon Hojeong’s eye for things.

Yeon Hojeong kept pointing out errors in places no one would ever expect—most of them in gaps so hard to spot you’d miss them if you blinked.

Designing an organization chart wasn’t that different from building strategy and tactics. If so, then as a descendant of the Je Gal Clan—renowned as strategic prodigies—Je Gal Ahyeon should’ve been superior.

But the results that surfaced were nothing like that.

“What the hell are you?”

Yeon Hojeong chuckled.

“You’re still on that?”

“No, I’m seriously curious. Martial arts, fine. But this? Even scholars wouldn’t think of most of this.”

“When I was young, I wandered around like a loafer and studied a bit of everything.”

“What did you study that makes you incapable of being bad at anything?”

It was fair for Je Gal Ahyeon to be dumbfounded.

In truth, Yeon Hojeong hadn’t properly studied this kind of thing. What Yeon Hojeong did have was experience—winning on battlefields where you could grind your brain raw every day and still not survive.

Yeon Hojeong had built the Black Emperor’s Citadel, and personally participated in placing personnel and creating its structure.

This wasn’t book learning. It was more than ten years of seeing the hollow and the solid of organizations up close on the ground. Of course Yeon Hojeong would surpass Je Gal Ahyeon.

“Anyway, this is good enough to pass.”

“Pass?”

For once, Je Gal Ahyeon’s face went serious.

“You’re really going to give this to Yangcheon?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll be honest. I think this is dangerous.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“There’s a saying that if you want to deceive the enemy, you start by deceiving your allies. But I don’t want to use that kind of method unless I have to. That said—when you make a deal with an enemy, you can’t put something half-baked on the table.”

“Haa.”

“Don’t worry. No matter how solid the organization chart is, what makes an organization in the end is people.”

Je Gal Ahyeon spoke as if dissatisfied.

“I know that. That’s why I made it like this. Thinking about Ink Dragon Manor’s future.”

“Right. But even if we hand this over, they can’t build it like this immediately. They don’t have enough personnel who count as specialists in each field.”

“Then why not hand it to the Alliance of the Martial World—”

“No.”

Yeon Hojeong cut it off flatly.

“The Alliance of the Martial World is a federation. They don’t show it on the surface, but each interest is crystal clear. A chart like this doesn’t fit a place like that. It’s the kind of chart that would turn into a slaughterhouse because everyone would fight to seize power.”

“You really think so?”

“Look at Mo Yonggun. He doesn’t say it, but even his people aren’t truly putting him up as their representative. They’re just using Mo Yonggun as a banner to become the top.”

Je Gal Ahyeon’s brow tightened.

“Then you’re saying the Dark Path is different?”

“At least right now.”

“Why do you think that?”

“The Dark Path is vicious. And the truly vicious ones fight without even the bare minimum of rules. But the Dark Path has one advantage the Orthodox Path doesn’t.”

“What is it?” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“They’ve been oppressed for a long time.”

Je Gal Ahyeon’s eyes widened.

“How is that an advantage?”

“It is. Think about it—when they gather into one, how much hatred they’ve carried can turn into passion and hope.”

A chill crawled up Je Gal Ahyeon’s spine.

Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.

“That’s how the world works. Stagnant water rots... but muddy water can clear again someday. The Orthodox Path and the Dark Path are the same.”

“......”

“That’s why I think the Orthodox Path is also responsible for the Dark Path turning into this sewer.”

“The Orthodox Path is responsible, too......”

Yeon Hojeong shrugged.

“Just my thoughts. Don’t take it too seriously.”

Je Gal Ahyeon snorted.

“I’m not taking it seriously. It just sounded cool, so I’m memorizing it to trot out later.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“So when are you going to Yangcheon? Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

A deep fatigue spread across Je Gal Ahyeon’s face. Slumped into the chair, Je Gal Ahyeon grumbled.

“Then I can just rest today, right? There’s nothing to do.”

“Yeah. Get some rest.”

“......Why does it sound like you still have something to do?”

Yeon Hojeong shrugged.

“Even if it’s just for show, a squad leader is still a squad leader. I can’t just lie around because there’s no work for a day.”

“Then wanna drink with me?”

“Did you forget we’re on a mission, Strategist?”

“Bullshit.”

“Rest.”

With that, Yeon Hojeong left the room.

Je Gal Ahyeon smiled at the door.

“Seriously... how did I end up tangled up with you like this. It’s a weird connection, isn’t it?”

Outside, Yeon Hojeong checked on what Ga Deoksang and Pae Yul were doing.

Ga Deoksang faced the wall every day, receiving information from field agents. Then, based on that, Ga Deoksang organized and relayed the current atmosphere in Changsha, Mount Yuelu, and even all of Hunan Province.

Pae Yul, on the other hand, was training day after day without end. Pae Yul was honing the swordsmanship shown to Yeon Hojeong before—and in the short time since, the proficiency had climbed shockingly fast.

And Tang Sang-a.

......

Yeon Hojeong rolled a thin, long cylinder around in the hand inside the robes.

It was just under a foot long, and not even as thick as a finger joint.

But inside it were hidden weapons that could send hundreds of people to hell. A kind of featherless needle—hair-thin needles smeared with extreme poison.

Of course, the cylinder Yeon Hojeong had brought back was empty. It had already fired once.

Yeon Hojeong decided.

There’s no reason to hide it for nothing. I’ll show her.

The reason Yeon Hojeong hadn’t shown Tang Sang-a until now was Tang Sang-a’s temperament.

Tang Sang-a had little experience. This mission was the first of its kind.

If Tang Sang-a saw this, Tang Sang-a would surely become obsessed with finding the source—and that would raise the odds of making a mistake at a crucial moment.

But I can’t hide it forever.

It was better to show it and squeeze out even a little more investigation. That was Yeon ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Hojeong’s judgment.

Yeon Hojeong started toward Tang Sang-a’s quarters—

KREEEAK.

The front gate swung open roughly.

Yeon Hojeong frowned. The one who entered the estate was Fire Ape.

What?

HOOF!

A dangerous pressure flowed off Fire Ape’s body.

Yeon Hojeong tilted the head.

“What is it?”

Fire Ape didn’t answer, just glared.

Yeon Hojeong’s brow creased.

“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. And before that, put away those eyes. They’re disgusting.”

“Was it you?”

“People say you’ve got a way with words, don’t they? If it’s a skill to make the other person curious, then I guess that’s a skill.”

It was a smooth, slippery response—but Fire Ape didn’t look like there was any mood for games.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t know why a monkey keeps barking nonsense.”

Fire Ape’s subordinate, Ape Leg, followed behind—and Ape Leg’s Killing Intent rose honestly into the air.

The party couldn’t just stay still.

Ga Deoksang, Pae Yul, Je Gal Ahyeon, and Tang Sang-a appeared.

Fire Ape snarled.

“I’ll ask one last time. If you don’t answer honestly, then all of you here—”

“I’ll say this one last time, too.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes turned clear as glass.

A faint pressure poured out—then seized the entire estate in a single breath. Blue-green, verdant majesty.

The manifestation of Azure Dragon Qi.

Surprise flickered across Fire Ape’s eyes.

“If you don’t rein in your Killing Intent right now, I’ll start by ripping the neck off that filthy worm behind you for throwing a tantrum without knowing its place—and then I’ll punish you.”

“......!”

“Don’t like it? Fine.”

WOOOOONG.

Yeon Hojeong’s irises flooded with deep blue in an instant.

“I already feel like shit, and you walked right into it.”

Fire Ape shouted, “Don’t tell me you bastards are from Ghost-Iron—!”

In that moment, Fire Ape saw an illusion—like flames surging up from Yeon Hojeong’s body.

HOOF! THUUNK!

“KRAAAAGH!”

With a horrific scream, Ape Leg collapsed. Fire Ape whipped around in shock.

CRACK.

Yeon Hojeong stepped on Ape Leg’s chest and looked at Fire Ape.

Lazy, or indifferent—

A mad gaze that words couldn’t describe. Fire Ape swallowed without meaning to.

Yeon Hojeong beamed as if delighted.

“Could you wait just a little? I’ve got to pull this bastard’s head off first.”