The hideout in the mountains, which they barely reached.

It was hard to find the way in the dense forest where even the moonlight couldn't penetrate.

Some even misstepped and tumbled...

Climbing a mountain in the middle of the night.

It must be a crazy act, even for a madman.

But the children didn't question Cheonyeong's decision at all.

They had heard the vivid story of the fight with the Cheongseo gang from Baekgang, and had already seen their miserable state, scattered on the ground.

Even if that wasn't the case, now... they were starting to believe.

That he was the real captain who would protect them.

"Stop it and go to sleep. It's late."

"Huh? You?"

At Cheonyeong's words, the children spread out the straw mats they had brought in an orderly fashion, and Yongcheon asked with a puzzled expression.

"I have something to do."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. So go to sleep first."

"Hmm... then I'll lay out your straw mat too."

"Alright."

Cheonyeong, leaving Yongcheon behind, left the hideout.

Perhaps by now... the Ucheol gang might have attacked the place where they were.

The vagrants wouldn't know how to track, so they wouldn't be able to follow the footprints.

But they would know the destination.

If that Makgae bastard had been watching, he would have already blabbed.

It would be impossible to climb the mountain right away as the night was deep, and even if they did, it would be hard to find the carefully chosen hideout.

But.

"Haa, what a hassle."

Cheonyeong grumbled as he wandered the outskirts of the hideout, picking up stones and branches.

Is an assassin only skilled at killing people?

They are also skilled at escaping.

That's why, although not as much as the scholars of the Zhuge family, they learn a few formations in preparation for such cases.

One of them is Heaven-Concealing Invisibility Formation.

A phantom formation.

Is it the same principle as knowing that there are fish in the water, but not being able to see inside because of the light reflected on the surface?

Heaven-Concealing Invisibility Formation is a method of deceiving people's eyes, like shining a light on the surface of the water.

With a few stones and branches.

Thump, thump thump.

It wasn't an easy task.

The memory is clear, but his hands are not yet used to it.

A formation is something that requires high-level calculations, so if the axis is even slightly off, it won't exert its proper effect.

"Hoo, it's finally done."

Cheonyeong smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the formation he had spread out in a large circle around the outskirts of the hideout.

This should be enough.

It was just a formation that distorted the surroundings to hide their appearance, but what kind of skill would the vagrant bastards have to break through the formation and find the hideout?

"Well, with this... safety is secured."

Cheonyeong returned to the hideout and fell into thought.

The children under the age of thirteen who were gathered separately under Makgae.

Why would that Ucheol guy do that?

Numerous thoughts and worries passed through his mind, were divided into pieces, and then formed a plausible hypothesis in his head.

It fits too perfectly with the situation at that time.

The children who were kidnapped by the assassin organization, just like him.

They were all thirteen or younger.

The reason is clear.

Because that age is usually the beginning of puberty.

A storm and stress.

A fast-blowing wind and a madly crashing wave.

Puberty is like that.

Because it's such a volatile period, it's often expressed with such words.

Because of that, they fight with their parents, and conflict with the outside world...

Nonsense.

The reason for such phenomena at that age is not friction with the outside, but the confusion and conflict that must be experienced internally.

The body grows at an incredible speed, unlike before, and they can't adapt to the change in thinking that occurs as they cross the boundary between child and adult.

In other words, they seem incomplete due to such transitional characteristics.

But once that period is over, the body and mind are established.

The self is determined.

At that time, the organization kidnapped only children under the age of thirteen and educated them as assassins for that reason.

To remodel the children in their volatile period into the personality they wanted, and the body they wanted.

"No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem unrelated to the kidnapping at that time..."

Cheonyeong's eyes narrowed.

A vagrant.

A life where no one cares if you die or disappear overnight.

There is no better condition for kidnapping.

What if Ucheol has a connection with Jingagu?

His narrowed eyes shot open, and his fists were clenched so tightly that they trembled.

"...This bastard, could it be? He sold the kids?"

He couldn't have just let it go.

Otherwise, why would he have gathered children of that age separately?

Grind.

"Damn it!"

His teeth were ground, and a curse came out.

Himself, and before him, or after him...

He would have continued to sell off the children.

He is the starting point that made the children who had entered the period of change have no choice but to live the life of an assassin.

"During the training... how many children died."

Anger welled up.

His clenched teeth ground as if they would dig into his gums.

But it's still just a guess.

However, if he is not unrelated to the kidnapping of the children, if he really sold the children to the assassin organization...

"I won't kill you. But, I'll make you live crawling on all fours like a dog for the rest of your life."

Cheonyeong's eyes, grinding his teeth, shone with a blue light like a wildcat in the dark.

The more he did, the calmer his heart became, and the colder his mind became.

"Cheonyeong!"

As he returned after setting up the formation, the children who had been dozing off stood up and greeted him.

"...You didn't sleep?"

"How can we sleep when the captain hasn't come?"

The children smiled at Cheonyeong.

Like baby birds waiting for their mother bird in the nest.

"Come here, I've prepared your spot."

"My spot?"

"Yeah."

He looked at the spot Yongcheon pointed to with his hand.

Something... even before lying down, it felt so soft with a lot of grass laid under the straw mat.

Cheonyeong also looked at the other children's spots.

It was the bare ground.

"Why only me?"

"Because you're the captain. The kids and I gathered nearby grass and branches and made it."

"No, there's no need for that..."

"Come on, that's not right. You're the captain. We'd feel uncomfortable."

"..."

"Baekgang worked the hardest."

At Yongcheon's words, Baekgang smiled awkwardly and touched his nose with his finger.

You bastard...

He must have been grateful for being saved from the Cheongseo gang.

"Here, lie down. You must be tired from fighting alone."

At Yongcheon's pulling hand, Cheonyeong sat on the straw mat prepared by the children.

It's soft.

More than a bed in a high-class inn...

...What am I saying. It's a delusion, a delusion.

Cheonyeong, who was embarrassed by the children's smiling faces, said bluntly.

"This won't cancel your debt."

"Ugh!"

"Damn it!"

"I worked so hard..."

At the sight of them even collapsing in disappointment, Cheonyeong let out a small laugh.

"Let's sleep."

"Yeah!"

It was late at night.

It was a heartwarming night...

The next day, Cheonyeong, who was occasionally checking on the children who were training after a late meal of grass, was splitting wood with a knife made of metal.

Thwack, thwack.

Thin and slender.

At the sight of Cheonyeong, who was carefully sharpening the end of the thinly split wood, Yongcheon approached and asked.

"Is it a toothpick? By any chance, are we eating meat today too?"

"..."

You ignorant bastard!

It's a hidden weapon.

This is called a Secret Wooden Needle.

You bastard who only has thoughts of eating in your head.

"Go, train."

"Yeah!"

Cheonyeong, who had chased away Yongcheon who had shown a brief interest, focused on the Bimokchim and recalled his worries from last night.

Now it's time to confirm the guess.

Thirty members of the Ucheol gang.

Making the Secret Wooden Needle is to deal with them.

Because a vagrant can't order a hidden weapon made of iron from a blacksmith.

But no matter how many Secret Wooden Needle he prepares, he can't deal with thirty adults.

Unless he regained his past level where he could even use pine needles as hidden weapons, it's impossible with his current ability.

His body is not in a state to reproduce the hidden weapon technique of that time.

"Hap!"

"Chahap!"

The children who had only been training for a short time would be of no help in a fight.

If he took them and they were taken hostage, the situation would only become difficult.

In the end, he has to do it alone.

But how?

If it were just Ucheol, it would be different... but thirty alone is an impossible fight.

It's not like the level of the Samyang Divine Art will increase in just a few days.

"Hmm, what should I do... a way to neutralize the rest of them... Damn it, it would be nice if they all got diarrhea like Baekgang... huh? Wait a minute."

At the thought that flashed through his mind, Cheonyeong looked at Chunil.

As if feeling the sharp gaze, the exhausted Chunil threw his fist with more force.

"Chunil."

"Huh? It's not me! I just finished the horse stance a little while ago. I was going to work hard from now on. Whoosh, whoosh. Look. There's a sound of wind from my fist, right? I'm not making it with my mouth."

"..."

You are making it with your mouth. You are.

He must have been afraid of being scolded for slacking off.

"That's not it."

"That's... not it?"

"Yeah."

"I thought... then what?"

"That rice wine lees from before."

"Rice wine lees? The brewery at Lord Geum's house?"

"Yeah. The Ucheol gang collects those rice wine lees?"

"Yeah. I've seen them a few times. Those bastards... they even squeeze alcohol out of it and drink it."

"Yeah, is that so?"

"Yeah!"

At Chunil's answer, one corner of Cheonyeong's mouth slowly rose.

I remember.

A way to break through the thirty and catch that Ucheol guy.

"Chunil."

"Yeah?"

"You have to go with me to the brewery at Lord Geum's house tonight."

"Huh? Why? To steal some rice wine lees? Are we drinking tonight? Really?"

"..."

A brat who only has thoughts of alcohol in his head.

At the sight of him, no different from Yongcheon who is crazy about meat, Cheonyeong sighed.

The alcohol... Ucheol and his lackeys should drink it.

With diarrhea.

How angry would he be?

Cheongseo, whom he trusted and gave a job to, was shattered, the kids he was going to hand over to Makgae all ran away, and he couldn't find them even after searching the mountain hard.

He must be furious by now.

Then what would he do?

When you're angry... you crave a drink.

* * *

"Damn it! Where the hell are these sons of bitches hiding?"

Just as Cheonyeong had thought, Ucheol was in a state of extreme anger.

It had been several days already.

He couldn't even beg, and he had completely failed.

It was all because of the runaway kids.

"Hey, brother."

"What!"

"By any chance, do you think they've already left for another place?"

"What?!"

"We've been searching for two days already, haven't we? I think... it would be better to give up. Everyone is tired from wandering the mountain, and above all, we're short on food because we haven't been begging."

At Wangdeok's words, Ucheol's eyes twitched.

He was already angry, and now he was adding fuel to the fire.

Thwack!

"Kugh!"

It's natural for a fist to fly.

"This son of a bitch! Are you crazy? What, give up? You son of a bitch, say that again! Huh! If we're short on food, we can just take it from other gangs!"

For saying something unnecessary, Wangdeok became the target of Ucheol's anger.

No one stepped in to stop him, but everyone had a face full of complaints.

Because everyone felt the same as Wangdeok.

"Brother. Stop it."

"What?"

Where Ucheol whipped his head around, Jangil, who was said to be good with his fists among the gang, was standing.

"Deok's words aren't wrong, are they?"

"You... why are you like this too? Don't you know why I'm like this?"

How could he not know?

What the use of the children under Makgae was.

The others might not know, but Jangil knows.

"Brother, still, calm down."

"..."

"Are there only one or two vagrant children? We can just gather them again."

"Kugh."

"Stop being angry and have a drink to calm your mind."

As Jangil gently soothed him, Ucheol barely controlled his panting breath.

"Damn it."

As Ucheol collapsed in front of the bonfire, Jangil shouted at the gang members who were standing blankly.

"What are you doing? Bring out the rice wine lees we brought from Lord Geum's house. You've all suffered wandering the mountain for two days, so you guys eat and drink to your heart's content today."

"Yes! Brother Jangil!"

At the word "alcohol," the men of the gang answered energetically.

Their mouths were already full of saliva.

Isn't alcohol the eternal truth after suffering?

Well, Ucheol and Jangil would be drinking alcohol they bought separately, but what does it matter? The rice wine lees alone were enough to feel happy.

As the night deepened, the drunkenness rose, and the time ripened.

And the smile on the lips of the ambusher in the dark, who was hiding and waiting for that time, deepened.

You bastards... you're eating well.

(End of Chapter)