The party gathered together once they returned to the estate. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

“Heh. This actually worked.”

Ga Deoksang clicked his tongue.

“Honestly, I didn’t think we’d gain Yangcheon’s trust this easily.”

Tang Sang-a shook her head, her expression heavy.

“It wasn’t easy. It only felt easy.”

In her earlier conversation with Yeon Hojeong, she’d been forced to realize all over again how difficult this mission truly was. The entire process had flowed as smoothly as water, but when she thought about it coldly, none of it would have been possible if Yeon Hojeong hadn’t sat down with Yangcheon and settled it face-to-face.

“Well, that’s true too. Young Master Yeon went through a lot.”

Yeon Hojeong let out a small laugh.

“No. Hu Gae is right, too. It was easier than I expected. Especially considering the opponent was Yangcheon.”

And one more thing.

Yangcheon’s condition is extremely unstable right now.

He could tell just from reading Yangcheon’s energy.

The greater the master of Inner Qi, the more deeply the qi he carries permeates mind and body. Mind, qi, and body ran parallel to the unification of essence, qi, and spirit—so when qi became disordered, harmony between mind and body had no choice but to break.

Of course, even if True Qi fell into ruin, it wasn’t common for the realm one had built over years to waver, or for the mind to become sick.

But Yeon Hojeong was certain Yangcheon belonged to those rare cases.

Even if True Qi is unstable, he wouldn’t handle Void Seizing that sloppily.

Void Seizing itself was an art only supreme masters could display. Just the fact that Yangcheon used it as naturally as breathing was enough to deserve awe.

But the Inner Qi flow he used in the process was far too wild. It was strange enough that he couldn’t even realize his Inner Qi control was a mess.

Was he like that in the past too? I can’t remember.

Yeon Hojeong could read Yangcheon’s state because he had already broken through a realm beyond Yangcheon’s before.

But when he’d killed Yangcheon in the past, he hadn’t reached that level yet. So he didn’t know what Yangcheon’s state had been back then.

Not that he’d had the time—or the leisure—to analyze it then, either.

“Then what do we do now?”

Pae Yul frowned.

“We infiltrate by earning that ‘merit,’ but can we really trust the stage Mo Yonggun laid out?”

Je Gal Ahyeon smacked her lips.

“I don’t think it’s bad. We didn’t have time, and under the circumstances, I think it was the best we could do.”

“Wiping out the Guizhou Merchant Guild’s trade caravan that’s staying at Mount Heng in Hunan... That caravan really is a swap Mo Yonggun made, right?”

“Of course it is.”

Je Gal Ahyeon scratched her head.

“Looks like the Mo Yong Clan’s been doing business with the Guizhou Merchant Guild all this time. They’re neighboring regions, so it isn’t strange, and Mo Yonggun can’t exactly pour cold water on this mission—so we just have to trust it and go. Right?”

Je Gal Ahyeon looked at Yeon Hojeong as she asked.

Yeon Hojeong nodded.

“We have to trust it. And to put it bluntly, even if it feels suspicious, what can we do?”

“True.”

Ga Deoksang’s eyes narrowed to threads.

“Do you really think that?”

“Hm?”

“Let’s speak plainly. Among us—no, within the Alliance of the Martial World—the one who knows Mo Yonggun best is you.”

Yeon Hojeong let out a small laugh.

“That’s a misunderstanding. The strategist from Je Gal probably has him figured out far better.”

“I don’t think so. If the strategist from Je Gal is a hawk that soars the sky, then you and Mo Yonggun are a tiger and a lion. The one who knows a rival best is always another rival.”

“Let’s say that’s true. What’s the problem?”

Ga Deoksang’s eyes glittered.

“It’s a bit late to say this, but... can we really trust this information manipulation?”

“Hm.”

Yeon Hojeong rubbed his chin.

“We can trust the stage.”

“What do you mean?”

“No matter what he plotted behind the stage, I’m confident the play will end properly.”

The others’ gazes turned sharp. It meant Yeon Hojeong didn’t fully trust the stage Mo Yonggun had laid out, either.

Tang Sang-a asked carefully.

“Then shouldn’t we set up some kind of countermeasure?”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“Even if we want to, there’s no way to know what he plotted right now.”

Pae Yul clicked his tongue.

“Whatever scheme Mo Yonggun’s cooking up, don’t we just do what we came to do? If something looks suspicious, we smash it then.”

It was a very Pae Yul thing to say.

Smiling, Yeon Hojeong took up his words.

“Senior is right. Since we can’t know what Mo Yonggun’s trick is, we simply do what we have to do. Besides, there’s no proof he even used a trick.”

Pae Yul lifted his chin like, See?

“Let’s organize it.”

Yeon Hojeong’s face turned serious.

“From now on, we’re going to raid the Guizhou Merchant Guild’s trade caravan. That caravan is a fake swapped in by Mo Yonggun, the mission’s commander, and the real caravan has hidden itself and will slip out of the region in secret.”

Everyone nodded.

Yeon Hojeong continued.

“The caravan’s trade route is to the Alliance of the Martial World, and the goods they’re transporting are treasures worth a fortune. We will deal with the caravan and take all the goods.”

“One thing I’m curious about.”

Pae Yul asked.

“What exactly are those goods? How great do they have to be for stealing them alone to count as a huge merit?”

“What matters is the act of cutting off support flowing to the Alliance of the Martial World—not the goods’ value.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“But your question is still valid. The goods they’re transporting are said to be worth, in funding terms north of the Yangtze, the equivalent of five years of budget for a major sect on the level of the Nine Sects and One Union.”

“Huh—!”

Not only Pae Yul, but Tang Sang-a and Je Gal Ahyeon also jolted.

Five years of budget for a major sect on the level of the Nine Sects and One Union was an astronomical sum.

Major sects with towering reputations in the martial world all maintained branches across the Central Plains. Even a single branch’s annual budget surpassed the yearly budget of most small and mid-sized sects.

So five years of budget for a major sect with countless branches was money even the Alliance of the Martial World—a massive federation—could never ignore.

“That much? Even if it’s for the mission, is this really okay?”

It was enough to make even Pae Yul, a battle-maniac, hesitate.

Ga Deoksang said,

“It’s okay. In return for investing this money, Mo Yonggun agreed to connect the Guizhou Merchant Guild to the Alliance of the Martial World.”

“What does that mean? Wasn’t the trade caravan heading to the Alliance of the Martial World from the start?”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“The Guizhou Merchant Guild was going to Sichuan Province, not the Alliance of the Martial World. The claim that it was heading to the Alliance of the Martial World was fabricated information.”

Ga Deoksang wore a smug smile.

“And it was our side that fabricated that information.”

Je Gal Ahyeon stared as if she couldn’t believe it.

“And Mo Yonggun built the board off that information?”

“He started after we did, but what does the order matter now?”

“Hah!”

The three of them clicked their tongues. While they hadn’t known, the board had been being laid piece by piece.

Tang Sang-a asked,

“The Guizhou Merchant Guild is no joke, too. No matter how big the Alliance of the Martial World is, just for the purpose of opening trade with them, they’d put up that kind of money...?”

“You’re underestimating the Alliance of the Martial World’s influence. The Alliance is the core of the Central Plains martial world—at least up until now. The Guizhou Merchant Guild probably didn’t want to miss this chance.”

“I-Is that so?”

Yeon Hojeong said,

“That’s the rough situation. Honestly, I wondered if it might be better not to share details like this, but I judged that everyone needs to know how things are moving, at minimum.”

Everyone nodded.

They looked calm on the surface, but inside, they were deeply shaken.

This was a mission on a colossal scale.

Something they’d overlooked because things had progressed so easily.

The opponent was Yangcheon—and, at the same time, the entire Dark Path martial world. If one exaggerated a little, this single mission could change the balance of power across the martial world under heaven.

They could tell just by the amount of money the Guizhou Merchant Guild had put up. To cough up five years of a major sect’s budget so easily... it hammered home how weighty this mission truly was.

“Alright. I’m issuing assignments.”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Ga Deoksang.

“Hu Gae will serve as the bridge leg for this operation. Stay here at the estate, analyze surrounding information moment by moment, and relay it to us and to the commander.”

“Got it.”

“I laid down a threat that no one is allowed to come here, on the grounds that there must be no connection to Ink Dragon Manor—but you never know. You can’t let your guard drop for even an instant.”

“I understand.”

Yeon Hojeong’s gaze turned to Je Gal Ahyeon.

Je Gal Ahyeon blinked.

“You’ve got something separate for me?”

“This.”

Yeon Hojeong took out a small note from his robes.

“It’s a low mountain ridge not far from here. I already told him in advance, so you only need to bring him there in secret.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

“The heir of the Ghost-Iron Sword Gate.”

“Wha—?!”

The others stared at Yeon Hojeong as if they’d lost their minds.

“What? So what that monkey said was true?”

“Yeah.”

“W-Why?!”

“I’ll explain later. What’s certain is we can’t let him know we belong to the Alliance of the Martial World yet.”

“...Okay, I get it, but why me?”

“You know basic Illusion Formation techniques, right?”

“Of course. Who do you think my clan is?”

“He’s someone the Dark Path’s informants are searching for with their eyes on fire. On top of that, his blood is running hot, he’s blinded by revenge, and he has no experience—so he can’t make it here alone.”

Je Gal Ahyeon nodded heavily.

“I get what you’re saying. Even if it takes longer, bring him without getting caught by Dark Path informants.”

“Exactly.”

“Fine. You have to explain later.”

“Of course.”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Pae Yul and Tang Sang-a.

Pae Yul spoke first.

“Sorry, but the only thing I’m good at is cutting people.”

He was getting ahead of it, in case Yeon Hojeong tried to hand him a soft task like Ga Deoksang and Je Gal Ahyeon.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“I know. I never intended to exclude you from the raid on the trade caravan.”

“Hmph. Good.”

“But I will say this—you must not reveal Azure Mountain Sect martial arts during the engagement. Use purely practical combat arts.”

Then Yeon Hojeong turned to Tang Sang-a.

“You too. You absolutely can’t use Tang Clan hidden-weapon techniques. If even the slightest trace shows, you’ll be suspected for sure.”

“Don’t worry.”

Pae Yul asked,

“No, but you said ‘engagement.’ You said they swapped people out. The board’s already set—does that mean there’s still a chance we’ll have to fight for real?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sank.

“There could be.”

Pae Yul’s eyes flashed.

“You’re worried Mo Yonggun might pull something.”

“Less ‘pull something,’ more... anyway, yes. It’s just in case. Keep this in mind.”

“Understood.”

Yeon Hojeong rose.

“You’ve all worked hard. Once we finish this mission, we’ll enter Ink Dragon Manor’s deepest layer, pull out all the information we want, and return.”

“...”

“Each of us ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) has a role, so it’ll be hard to expect outside help. Stay tense.”

A determined light filled their eyes.

Slowly folding up his sleeves, Yeon Hojeong said,

“Alright. Let’s shake the board.”