"Elder Mae, find out as much as you can about the masked people who appeared at the Gangnam Grand Inn. That will be the way to wash away Elder Mae's mistake of trying to side with the Martial Alliance."

"I will obey your command."

As Mae Gang-hwa bowed her head and went out, Seo Mun-ryeon looked out the window. As Mae Gang-hwa passed the garden and disappeared completely into the darkness, Seo Mun-ryeon opened her mouth again.

"Dark Bee."

Although her voice flowed out, there was no movement. But Seo Mun-ryeon did not care.

"Watch that bitch. She might be a bat."

Sreuk!

As her words ended, a small butterfly-shaped shadow disappeared into the darkness with the sound of the wind.

Seo Mun-ryeon, feeling a heavy heart, let out a deep sigh.

Those who were not visible were more fearsome than those who were. Seo Mun-ryeon knew that better than anyone.

***

A month had passed since the Gangnam Grand Inn burned down. The story of the inn was now rarely mentioned in people's mouths.

Incidents are originally forgotten as time passes.

Even if the inn burned down, the martial world did not change, and the world did not change either.

There were still many people, and the world was turning well.

There were a man and a woman walking towards the main gate, passing the long wall of the Grand Inn where the glory of the past remained.

The two, wearing white martial arts uniforms and with swords slung over their shoulders, were Jo Geom-ok and Woo Jeong-bong.

The two tried to enter the inn, but they could not because of the Martial Alliance warriors guarding the entrance.

"No one can enter."

The Martial Alliance warriors blocking the entrance opened their eyes wide and exuded an intimidating prayer.

But Woo Jeong-bong was not one to stand by.

"We served as guards here. But you say we can't enter? My luggage is in there."

"Still, you can't enter."

The guard blocked the entrance with a face as stiff as a piece of firewood.

At the noisy sound, other warriors also gathered.

When their number exceeded twenty, a middle-aged man who looked like a team leader stepped forward.

"Aren't you Brother Woo of the Wudang Sect? I am Yeong-jung, the third team leader of the Sword Wind Hall. The inn is currently being managed by the Sword Wind Hall. An order has been given to control access, so we are blocking it."

"You mean we can't go inside?"

"For now, yes."

"When will it be lifted?"

"I don't know. Since it's such a large place, it seems to be taking time to investigate."

"What are you investigating?"

When Woo Jeong-bong asked, Yeong-jung frowned. It seemed he didn't want to answer.

Jo Geom-ok, who was standing behind Woo Jeong-bong, had a surprised expression.

'What's this?'

The foolish person was now showing a sharp side. Jo Geom-ok, who thought the sun would rise from the west, said to the hesitant Yeong-jung, "As a person of the Gangnam Grand Inn, I have the right to know why the inn has become like this. If you block the way, I will enter by force, so if you are confident in blocking me, try it."

At Jo Geom-ok's action of grabbing the hilt of her sword, Yeong-jung was flustered. Woo Jeong-bong grabbed Jo Geom-ok's shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't create unnecessary trouble. Is there a need to fight? We can just pass by."

Whoosh!

The moment his words ended, Woo Jeong-bong jumped over the heads of the guards and over the wall of the main gate.

"Huh? Uh, uh, uh!"

Yeong-jung was startled and his eyes widened. In the meantime, Jo Geom-ok also jumped over Yeong-jung's head.

"Catch, catch them! Hurry up and catch them!"

As Yeong-jung shouted, the guards all rushed inside.

***

In the wide open space of the Geumwon, over a hundred coffins were placed. They were all the coffins of the Guguang branch members who had died here.

The corpses of the Blood Killing Faction and the Ghost Hand Pavilion were mostly burned, and the survivors were now confined in the Do Faction.

Their number was five. At first, there were over ten, but more than half had died due to severe injuries.

"Stop!"

"Catch them!"

"Waaaaah!"

Buk Myeong-woo, the master of the Sword Wind Hall, who had turned his body at the noisy sound, looked at the two people and the division members rushing to the Geumwon with a face full of annoyance.

The man and woman rushing towards him were people he knew, the troublesome disciples of the Wudang Sect.

"Stop!"

As Buk Myeong-woo raised his hand and shouted, the members of the Sword Wind Hall all stopped.

"It's been a long time, Senior Buk Myeong."

"Hmph!"

At Woo Jeong-bong's greeting, Buk Myeong-woo turned his head and waved his hand.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the main gate! Hurry up and return to your posts!"

As his voice grew louder, the members of the Sword Wind Hall who had been chasing Woo Jeong-bong and Jo Geom-ok scattered to their posts.

Woo Jeong-bong, who had approached Buk Myeong-woo's side, looked around the coffins and asked, "Who are they?"

"They are members of the Guguang branch."

At the fact that they were warriors of the Martial Alliance, Woo Jeong-bong sighed and grieved.

"What happened?"

"As you can see, it's just corpses. Hear the details from Miss Namgung."

Buk Myeong-woo walked inside with a face indifferent to the two. The two, who were walking behind Buk Myeong-woo, moved to a quiet separate courtyard with Namgung Ji when she approached.

Namgung Ji had also heard the news of the inn's misfortune and had rushed here with the Sword Wind Hall.

She told Woo Jeong-bong and Jo Geom-ok about what had happened so far.

"It's the work of the Demonic Cult."

"Damn Demonic Cult bastards."

Woo Jeong-bong, at the fact that it was the work of the Demonic Cult, clenched his sword and trembled all over. But Jo Geom-ok did not believe that it was the work of the Demonic Cult.

There were too many things that made her suspicious.

"What about Jin Sa-wol?"

"I don't know either. Where he is. We're searching everywhere right now, but there's a story that he died in the Demonic Cult."

At Namgung Ji's answer, Jo Geom-ok sneered without realizing it. It was an absurd story.

"By the way, they said the Sword Wind Hall has been staying here for a month. What's the reason for staying so long?"

"The safe. They're trying to open the inn's safe."

At the word 'safe', Jo Geom-ok understood why the master of the Sword Wind Hall was so sharp.

If they opened the safe, the Martial Alliance could take all the wealth inside. Because the innkeeper, Jin Sa-wol, was not here now.

The rumor that he had died was also surely made by someone.

"A safe? There was a safe here?"

When Woo Jeong-bong asked, Jo Geom-ok sighed.

Namgung Ji explained with a kind smile.

"You might not know, brother. They found a safe in Seosan, but they can't open it, so the master of the Sword Wind Hall is getting impatient."

"What? Why are they trying to open it? The owner of the safe is Brother Jin, right? But they're going to open it without the owner's permission? Aren't they crazy?"

"Because there is no owner now."

At Namgung Ji's answer, Woo Jeong-bong frowned, rolled up his sleeves, and went outside. It seemed he was about to have a go with the master of the Sword Wind Hall.

***

When she came to be the Hao Faction Master, the Hao Faction was divided into elders who wanted to side with the Martial Alliance and elders who wanted to remain neutral, which gave her a headache.

It took a month to sort it out, and that was also quite fast.

"How is Mae Gang-hwa?"

-She exchanges messages with Zhuge Qing, but there is nothing special. It seems she is trying to keep a distance from the Martial Alliance as well because of the deceased Elder Jang.

As the voice of the Dark Bee was transmitted to her ear, Seo Mun-ryeon nodded.

In a room full of bright lanterns, finding the Dark Bee was actually impossible for anyone but Seo Mun-ryeon.

"It's Mae Gang-hwa."

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Mae Gang-hwa opened the door and came in.

"What is it?"

"The Martial Alliance wants to see you, Master."

"The Alliance Leader?"

"No. It's Zhuge Qing."

"Not the Alliance Leader, but I have to meet someone like Zhuge Qing?"

"That's..."

Mae Gang-hwa was flustered as to whether she should see Seo Mun-ryeon's spirit of calling Zhuge Qing 'someone like Zhuge Qing' as high, or as the hot-bloodedness of a twenty-something.

If Zhuge Qing had heard what she said now, he might have killed Seo Mun-ryeon on the spot.

'It's best to avoid the sword in front of you for now.'

"Then how..."

"Tell them I have no intention of meeting anyone but the Alliance Leader."

At Seo Mun-ryeon's spirit, Mae Gang-hwa bowed her head.

"I understand."

Mae Gang-hwa, who had turned her body with her answer, opened her eyes wide when she saw the young man in black in front of her.

He was a handsome young man with a cold face she had never seen before.

"Who..."

Startled, she was about to open her mouth, but she closed her eyes. Her vital points had been pressed, and she had fallen asleep.

The young man, who had caught the falling Mae Gang-hwa, laid her on one side and said, "It's been a long time."

"Jin Sa-wol."

Seo Mun-ryeon stood up from her seat without realizing it.

She was so surprised that her eyes were wide open.

As Jin Sa-wol approached, Seo Mun-ryeon retreated. She didn't know why, but she had to retreat.

An unknown pressure and a cold killing intent pushed her entire body.

"Dark Bee. Protect me."

Although her voice echoed in the room, the Dark Bee did not appear.

"The woman on the ceiling is sleeping. I put her to sleep a while ago."

Jin Sa-wol answered on behalf of the Dark Bee, sat down in a chair, drank his tea, and asked, "Why are you so surprised? It seems you've done something wrong to me."

Seo Mun-ryeon leaned against the window and then realized her own situation. She proudly straightened her chest and raised her head.

"What wrong? I saved you from the Demonic Cult. Rather, I should be receiving thanks."

Seo Mun-ryeon put strength into her voice with a strong tone. But it was true that she had a question.

According to Jang Cho's story, he had to recuperate for half a year. But Jin Sa-wol had appeared before her eyes like a ghost, and he had already subdued the surroundings.

"Why did you appear here? It seems your body has already recovered."

"I took a Demonic Core Pill, and I got better quickly."

Jin Sa-wol had left Hanzhong, crossed over to Kaifeng, took the last remaining Demonic Core Pill, and had been hiding for a month.

Of course, it was near the Man-gyeong Pavilion. It was to observe Seo Mun-ryeon and her surroundings.

"My inn has burned down. And it was by the attack of the Ghost Hand Pavilion and the Blood Killing Faction. But they say the ones who subdued the Ghost Hand Pavilion and the Blood Killing Faction were masked people. Can you tell me who they are?"

Jin Sa-wol put down his teacup and placed his hand on the table. Seo Mun-ryeon's eyes stared at Jin Sa-wol's hand. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"I also feel sorry about the inn. But I don't know who the masked people are either."

In that instant, with a sound, Jin Sa-wol's figure appeared right in front of Seo Mun-ryeon's nose. Seo Mun-ryeon was startled, retreated, and leaned against the wall.

There was nowhere else to retreat.

Jin Sa-wol came very close to Seo Mun-ryeon, raised his hand, and grabbed her neck.

Although Seo Mun-ryeon saw the action with her eyes, she could not stop it. She could not move her body.

It was only then that she realized her demonic vital points had been subdued.

'When?'

As she rolled her eyeballs, she finally felt a stinging sensation running from her neck to her spine.

"Your neck is thin, so it can be held in one hand."

"I don't know. I really don't know."

As Jin Sa-wol put strength into his hand, Seo Mun-ryeon opened her eyes wide and shouted, "You fucking bastard! You know too! It's been less than a month since I became the Hao Faction Master! How would I know about something that happened in the meantime! You crazy bastard! You dirty Demonic Cult Leader-like bastard!"

At the words 'Demonic Cult Leader-like', Jin Sa-wol's expression hardened. In that instant, Seo Mun-ryeon's face turned red.

"Keuk!"

As Seo Mun-ryeon's face turned bright red, Jin Sa-wol let go of his hand, retreated, and then pressed Seo Mun-ryeon's Jianjing and Guanliao acupoints.

"Heok!"

As the demonic vital points were released, Seo Mun-ryeon grabbed her neck and bent her waist. Jin Sa-wol, who was sitting in the same seat, drank his tea and asked, "The Hao Faction wasn't involved in the matter of my inn, was it?"

"Absolutely not. You crazy bastard."

Seo Mun-ryeon shook her head. But Jin Sa-wol did not believe her words.

Whoosh! Jin Sa-wol, who had gone up to the ceiling, came down holding the Dark Bee in his arms.

He had to confirm Seo Mun-ryeon's words.

(End of Chapter)