Zhuge Qing and Dan Ji-hyu drank together all night and then left for the alliance the next day.

Bi-sun, who was standing in the room, turned his gaze out the window. He saw the high sky and flying birds.

"The Alliance Leader's mouth is light."

"He must have told his closest aide."

Bi-sun and Jo-rim, who had heard yesterday's story, had faces full of dissatisfaction.

Jin Sa-wol's expression showed no particular change. He had to go to the Demonic Cult anyway. It was just that one more task had been added on the way; nothing had changed.

"The Demonic Cult's Infinite Hell is a place you can't get out of once you enter, and you're telling me to go in there. Are you crazy? That's telling me to die, isn't it?"

Bi-sun raised his voice, venting the anger that was welling up from deep within his chest.

"I'm pissed."

Jo-rim also gritted her teeth so hard that a vein popped out on her forehead.

"You gangster bastard."

"Pfft!"

Who in the world would call Zhuge Qing a third-rate gangster but Jo-rim? Jin Sa-wol laughed under his breath without realizing it.

"Hehehehe."

Although the laughter was gloomy, the atmosphere in the room lightened. Jin Sa-wol, who received the gazes of Bi-sun and Jo-rim, put on a serious face and asked.

"What about the Hao Faction Master?"

"He's on his way to Luoyang."

He had to send the corpse to Luoyang anyway if he got one. The fastest way to get to the Demonic Cult was through Luoyang.

Bi-sun and Jo-rim grumbled.

"He says to send the corpse through the Yongnam Escort Agency if the innkeeper is killed."

"He has a plan and everything, amazing. Is he trying so hard to look good to the Demonic Cult Leader? Since when has the Hao Faction been loyal to the Demonic Cult?"

"The moment it becomes known that the Hao Faction is loyal to the Demonic Cult, all the Hao Faction members in the Central Plains will become enemies of the Martial Alliance... Isn't he going too far?"

"How about we inform the Martial Alliance?"

"That the innkeeper here was killed by the Hao Faction?"

"He's going to die anyway."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, the two closed their mouths. No matter how much they talked, he was a person who was going to die anyway.

"The corpse?"

"It's scheduled to be ready tomorrow."

"Then I can leave tonight."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Bi-sun and Jo-rim nodded. The Hao Faction Master, Mun-hyeok, just needed to receive a report that the innkeeper was dead, so there was no need to worry.

Bi-sun asked as if he had remembered something.

"Who are you going with?"

"Alone."

At the word 'alone', Jo-rim shook her head.

"Isn't it dangerous to go alone? You don't have a reliable internal collaborator, do you?"

"I do."

At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Jo-rim turned her eyes and looked at Bi-sun.

Bi-sun nodded. Jo-rim said as if she had just remembered.

"You mean the Na family."

At Jo-rim's words, Bi-sun smiled.

Jin Sa-wol changed the subject.

"Tell everyone that I've just gone out for a while."

"Let's do that."

"Alright."

The answers were short. But Bi-sun and Jo-rim knew that it might take much longer than they thought.

Going to the Demonic Cult was a matter of life and death.

He might not be able to come back.

But the two did not think about Jin Sa-wol's death.

* * *

Two people were walking on the sandy beach of the Poyang Lake. Since it was the lakeside with the ferry to Muyeon Island, it was a place that only a few people from the inn could come to.

Jo Geom-ok, who was walking with Jin Sa-wol, had a look full of dissatisfaction.

"What's going to change just because the Esoteric Sect Leader is alive? It doesn't matter to us what form he lives in."

"Still, we have to find out."

"No, why are you trying to go to the Demonic Cult for no reason? Do you really need to go?"

"They are trying to kill me."

There was no better justification than this.

At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Jo Geom-ok closed her mouth for a moment. Although she was annoyed, she couldn't openly get angry.

For now, she wanted to show a demure appearance to Jin Sa-wol as much as possible.

Jin Sa-wol saw Jo Geom-ok's expression changing from red to blue, but he ignored it.

"What kind of person is Zhuge Qing?"

"The Alliance Leader's right-hand man with a good head. He has held important positions in the Martial Alliance for a long time, and he was on good terms with my master."

"Not that, his personality."

At the word 'personality', Jo Geom-ok rested her chin on her hand and thought about Zhuge Qing for a moment.

She had hardly ever had a conversation with him because she had rarely encountered him in her life. She only knew the rumors she had heard.

"A tenacious personality that doesn't let go once it bites, like a turtle? I heard he's meticulous."

"If you work with him, the subordinates will be tired."

"That's right. But why Zhuge Qing?"

"Because he's watching us. He seems to know a lot about me."

"How?"

Although Jo Geom-ok asked urgently, Jin Sa-wol was silent.

"Even that I'm from the Esoteric Sect?"

"He doesn't know that."

Jin Sa-wol answered and then stopped walking for a moment. The sound of the lapping waves was heard in his ears.

Jo Geom-ok asked with a face full of disappointment.

"Wouldn't it be good to go to the Demonic Cult together? We could disguise ourselves as a married couple, and it would be more convenient to move around than alone."

"No."

Jin Sa-wol put on a serious face and shook his head.

As Jo Geom-ok had said, it might be convenient to disguise themselves. But the Demonic Cult was not to be trifled with.

Also, Jo Geom-ok could get hurt. That was the biggest reason.

At Jin Sa-wol's firm refusal, Jo Geom-ok gave up.

"When are you going to the Demonic Cult?"

"At dawn."

"Aren't you going to tell Senior Brother Woo?"

"You tell him well."

"You're heartless."

Jo Geom-ok had a disappointed expression.

Since Jin Sa-wol had lived with Woo Jeong-bong for a while, he had grown very fond of him. Of course, he himself was denying that he had any affection.

Because he had no affection, he planned to leave without even seeing his face. But that was also proof that he had grown very fond of him.

Swish!

Jin Sa-wol took out the hexagonal golden ruler from his bosom and held it out to Jo Geom-ok.

"Keep it."

"Me?"

Jo Geom-ok also knew well that the golden ruler was the key to the safe. But she was puzzled that he was giving it to her, not Bi-sun.

"You have to have it so that I can find you even if you run far away."

At the justification for meeting her, Jo Geom-ok sneered. Jo Geom-ok put the golden ruler in her bosom without a word and said.

"Don't be late. If you're too late, I'll break it."

"Alright."

Jin Sa-wol answered and then walked again.

* * *

When dawn came, a person walked out of the entrance of the inn. It was Jin Sa-wol, wearing a bamboo hat.

Jin Sa-wol got a small boat at the ferry in Jiujiang and got on. Then there was a person in a bamboo hat who hurriedly got on the small boat.

"Let's go together."

At Son Ae-hwa's voice, Jin Sa-wol frowned.

"Go back."

"I'm not going."

Son Ae-hwa shook her head vigorously and sat down. The boatman, who was holding the oar, looked at Jin Sa-wol, not knowing what to do.

"Let's go."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, the boatman rowed. The boat moved forward on the river.

* * *

Around noon, Jo Geom-ok approached Bi-sun, who was making his rounds at the inn.

"I can't see Ae-hwa. Where did she go?"

"She's on an errand for a moment..."

"Pardon?"

At Jo Geom-ok's sharp gaze, Bi-sun couldn't lie and told the truth.

"She followed Brother Jin at dawn. Brother Jin told her not to come, but it seems she went recklessly."

"What? How dare she!"

At the sharp shout, the people around turned their heads to Bi-sun and Jo Geom-ok.

Jo Geom-ok clenched her fist and then shook her head. A woman's intuition told her that something was unusual between the two.

"Should I break it?"

In that instant, the golden ruler that Jin Sa-wol had given her came to mind.

Bi-sun, to appease her, showed a gentle smile and said.

"Brother Jin thinks of Miss Jo as special. You can tell just by watching from the side. So just pretend you don't know. Nothing will happen."

"If so... I'll wait."

At the word 'special', Jo Geom-ok's mood seemed to have eased, and she nodded and turned her body.

As Jo Geom-ok moved away, Bi-sun showed a pitiful expression.

'She's going to have a hard time.'

* * *

Son Ae-hwa, who had been running nonstop for about ten days from Jiujiang, entered a place called Byeokseong Village.

For the first time in ten days, she could enter an inn in a proper village and sleep. Perhaps because of that, when morning came, her mood was very good, and she went out to the street.

The weather was good and the wind was good, so she was humming a tune without realizing it.

'I don't even know when I'll die.'

Suddenly aware of her own situation, she let out a long sigh.

As she came out of the general store, a group entering the market came into her eyes. They were martial artists with their robes fluttering.

'Wudang?'

Son Ae-hwa, without realizing it, entered an alley and hid her body. It was an instinctive action.

As they passed by in a group, Son Ae-hwa, who had come out of the alley, suddenly thought about why she had hidden.

'I can't help my instincts. When I see the orthodox faction, my body avoids them first. You unlucky bastards.'

Son Ae-hwa grumbled and walked in the opposite direction of where the Wudang Sect had disappeared.

* * *

Jin Sa-wol, who was sitting next to the wide-open window, looked at the street around the river where people were coming and going.

Since it was a place where clear water flowed, many people were seen coming and going. Under the bridge a little further away, beggars were resting in groups.

Since beggars were a target to be wary of, there was no reason to go near them.

Thump!

Son Ae-hwa, who had opened the door and entered, saw Jin Sa-wol, greeted him, and sat down in a chair.

"Are you awake?"

Although Son Ae-hwa asked, Jin Sa-wol just nodded.

"I saw the Wudang Sect."

"I saw them too."

"Is the reason you came here because of the Wudang Sect?"

"That's right."

At Jin Sa-wol's answer, Son Ae-hwa showed a surprised expression. As Jin Sa-wol approached and sat right in front of her, Son Ae-hwa changed her expression and poured him tea.

"There's something you have to do."

"What is it?"

"Find out where Master Hyeonjeong is now."

Master Hyeonjeong was one of the representative figures of the Wudang Sect. It was known that he spent more time outside than on Mount Wudang.

"Is he around here?"

"From what I heard, the most recent place he was at was the Songgeom Gate near here. But that was ten days ago, so I don't know where he is now."

"Songgeom Gate..."

If it was the orthodox faction, even going near was unpleasant. Son Ae-hwa frowned and openly showed a displeased expression.

"If you don't want to do it, go back."

At Jin Sa-wol's words, Son Ae-hwa shook her head. If she went back, there was Jo-rim, who was even more difficult to deal with.

The reason she had left the inn was also because of Jo-rim. Her burdensome relationship with her played a part.

"I'm going to rest, so find out by tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Son Ae-hwa, who had answered weakly, said with a face as if she had remembered something.

"By the way, what about the titles? It would be strange for people around to see me calling you 'innkeeper'... I think it would be good to disguise ourselves as a married couple."

"We are siblings."

"Yes."

Son Ae-hwa quickly bowed her head, answered, and then lay down on the bed. Seeing Son Ae-hwa covering herself with the blanket, Jin Sa-wol asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to sleep to move at night. Don't wake me up."

Son Ae-hwa, who had spoken bluntly with a voice that seemed angry, closed her eyes. Jin Sa-wol shook his head, sat on the remaining bed, and closed his eyes.

The reason he was trying to meet Hyeonjeong was to confirm whether he was the Esoteric Sect Leader or not.

* * *

The Songgeom Gate was one of the many branches of the Wudang Sect. Its history was a little over a hundred years, and it had been passed down for three generations.

The number of its disciples was about two hundred, and it was just one of the many small and medium-sized sects.

But since it had maintained its lineage in the martial world for over a hundred years, it was a sect with some weight even in Wudang.

Maintaining a lineage for over a hundred years in the martial world was by no means an easy task.

In the evening.

In the pavilion in the rear garden of the Songgeom Gate, the Songgeom Gate Master, Heo Man-gi, and Master Hyeonjeong were sitting opposite each other, playing Go.

They had already been playing for five days, more than ten games.

Clink!

Hyeonjeong, who had placed a black stone in the center-left, looked at Heo Man-gi. Heo Man-gi placed a white stone in the lower-right and asked.

"How long are you going to be here? It's been over a fortnight since you came."

"I have nothing to do even if I go back."

"Are you that disappointed about leaving the Martial Alliance?"

"It's not that I'm disappointed, but I'm just empty because I couldn't achieve what I intended."

Hyeonjeong shook his head, answered, and then picked up a black stone. Then, as the sound of the wind was heard, Hyeonjeong turned his eyes to the forest in the rear garden.

At Hyeonjeong's action, Heo Man-gi turned his head and looked at the forest Hyeonjeong was looking at.

"Why is that?"

(End of Chapter)