Silence stretched on. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) The Plum Blossom Commander’s eyes—small for his face—had widened several times over.

“...How did you figure this out?”

The Plum Blossom Commander cut through the cold stillness and spoke to me.

How did I figure it out... huh.

I laughed to myself at that.

That was the old monster’s mistake.

Back then, you should’ve said something like, “How do you expect me to believe that,” or just kept your mouth shut.

What was the point of reacting like that here?

All that does is admit you’re shaken.

It was no different from proving he’d panicked.

I pretended I hadn’t noticed his reaction and continued.

“These are things my informants and I have learned. The reliability is fairly solid. And as I said earlier.”

I cut myself off for a moment.

This tiny, delicate silence would hit him like a real shockwave.

“Whether you choose to believe it is your decision, Commander.”

“......”

“Believing the disciples you care about was the right thing to do. But looking at the situation rationally is also something you, as Commander, should be doing, don’t you think?”

As if I respected his choice, I spoke like I was trying to help.

Only then did the Plum Blossom Commander fall silent—like he was thinking hard.

No. He really was thinking hard.

Just in a slightly different way than he wanted to show.

“...What do you want by giving me this?”

The Plum Blossom Commander’s voice grew heavy.

“If you decide you’ll help me, I’ll tell you then.”

“......”

“I hope you make a good choice.”

I finished speaking and rose. Then I dipped my head lightly in courtesy and left the room.

I didn’t look back.

Alright.

I’d set the trap.

Whether he stepped into it or not—

Like I’d said more than once.

That was the old monster’s choice.

*****

Even after my talk with the Plum Blossom Commander ended, it still wasn’t past noon.

“Ugh.”

I walked while feeling a dull ache in my waist. The wound hadn’t been deep, which was the only reason I could move like this—if it had gone in deeper, who knew what would’ve happened.

...He called him Strange Demon, right.

An Eighth Demon like Sword Demon.

An absolute master—an elite among elites from the DEMON CULT.

Facing him again had driven it into my skull.

I can’t get cocky.

Even if my realm had grown, the gap between me and an absolute master was still very real.

If he’d truly wanted to kill me...

I probably would’ve died on the spot.

He’d only meant to suppress me, thank god. If that hadn’t been the goal, my life was already forfeit.

It’s not easy.

That brutal man. He was really not easy.

And that’s not the only problem.

Sword Demon, Strange Demon—

People who were already known to be dead.

How were the ones whose lifelines had snapped during the Orthodox-Demonic War walking around alive now?

What the hell is the DEMON CULT’s goal... and HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE’s?

What were those bastards aiming for, coming all the way to Shaanxi to pull this kind of bullshit?

And on top of that—

Why do they keep getting tangled up with me?

I had no idea why they kept getting involved with me.

“Aaagh......”

As if I didn’t already have more than enough on my plate. When freaks like this latched on, it felt like the work doubled.

Let’s sort it out.

I turned my brain. The pile was already there. If that was the case, the method was always the same.

Handle what’s in front of me first.

One thing at a time, without stopping.

With the way I’d survived up to now, I’d learned there wasn’t a better option than that.

I shook the Commander’s side.

The names I’d investigated and written down.

After seeing that, the Plum Blossom Commander would’ve been rattled.

And—

He’ll slow down on messing with me, too.

I’d shown that I had a rough grasp of the personnel, and that I had informants.

Once that was out in the open, hesitation would creep in before anyone tried to touch me.

It also meant I’d bought time.

I have to use it now.

I didn’t know how they’d move, but I knew they weren’t the type to charge in like idiots. So they’d move delicately here, too.

...Hmm.

I rubbed my chin, thinking.

Then—

“Moon Knight...?”

I turned at the voice calling me.

“Ah, Yeo Hyeok.”

It was Yeo Hyeok.

“So you were here.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Yes. You weren’t in your quarters, so I was searching.”

So it wasn’t a random run-in. He’d come to find me.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Thankfully I’m fine.”

I wasn’t actually fine, but... this was good enough.

“I see... That’s a relief.”

“This works out.”

“Yes?”

“I was about to come find you, too.”

“You... me?”

“Yes. You didn’t come looking for me without a reason.”

“That’s right.” 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“Good. I have something to say as well. I actually just met with the Plum Blossom Commander privately.”

“...!”

Yeo Hyeok flinched at my words.

Of course he did. Yeo Hyeok had said he suspected the Plum Blossom Commander.

And now I was saying I’d met him alone—no way Yeo Hyeok wouldn’t be shocked.

“How...?”

“I had something to confirm.”

“Confirm what...?”

I switched to voice transmission.

Whether the Plum Blossom Commander really is a spy, like you said. I went to confirm that.

...!

Yeo Hyeok stiffened.

Did you... confirm it?

Yes.

I nodded.

In my view, the Plum Blossom Commander is not a spy.

Ah...?

Yeo Hyeok looked flustered at my different conclusion.

I kept going.

So I wanted to ask why you saw the Commander as a spy.

......That...

If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to. Still... I’d appreciate it if you could tell me, if you can.

......

Yeo Hyeok fell into a short silence. A brief span—short enough to count on fingers—passed, and then—

...It’s nothing special. It’s closer to a feeling.

A feeling?

Yes. It was a few months ago... but new disciples entered Mount Hua this time.

I see.

Disciples could enter. So what was the problem?

What did that have to do with the Commander?

As I was thinking that—

...But the Commander didn’t memorize those children’s names.

...What?

My eyes narrowed.

What did that even mean?

He didn’t... memorize them?

...Yes.

Why does that matter?

I honestly couldn’t understand.

He used to memorize them all.

......

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

There’s more.

Right. That couldn’t be all. There had to be something.

The time he spends on personal training and the time he spends looking after disciples has noticeably decreased.

...What?

And what was the issue with that?

I felt like I was about to get dizzy.

What’s the problem with that...

He used to spend most of his time either training himself or looking after disciples. Now that time almost doesn’t exist.

No, but...

Fine. I got it—Yeo Hyeok had noticed differences.

But—

So what’s the problem?

I still couldn’t see how that connected to “spy” in any way.

While I fought down a sigh—

And the biggest reason is—

Yeo Hyeok added, like this was the real point.

His eyes changed.

...His eyes?

Yes. That look... it’s different from the Commander’s eyes I used to know.

Different how?

Chilling. Cold... and somehow dark.

......

I dragged a hand down my face.

So in the end, it was just a gut call.

...I thought there’d be something he was basing this on.

Was he really suspecting the Plum Blossom Commander on instinct alone?

That was honestly impressive in its own insane way.

Suspecting the Plum Blossom Commander on a feeling.

This guy wasn’t normal either.

Maybe there was some crucial proof he was holding—

But no. It didn’t seem like that at all.

Is he seriously just an animal?

Suspicion based purely on instinct.

That made it even more ridiculous.

...No. Look. That...

I started to speak, then swallowed it.

Forget it. This is done...

Let’s just move on. If I dragged this out, I felt like my insides would burst.

...I’ll ask something else.

Yes? You don’t need to hear the rest?

There’s more...? No, it’s fine.

Even if he kept talking, it would probably sound the same. So—

What you said before.

What I said...?

That something is happening in Mount Hua.

Ah...

Can you tell me what it is now?

You said something was happening in Mount Hua. At least this had to be solid.

...That.

Yeo Hyeok hesitated hard. It looked difficult to say, but in the end he cut through the hesitation and spoke.

...An incident happened in Mount Hua.

His complexion darkened in an instant.

An incident...?

...Disciples... to be exact, Plum Blossom Swordsmen—

And then he said it.

...Some of them went missing.

...!

My brain reacted.

Ah.

So that’s it.

With that single short sentence, I understood.

...These bastards...

Why they’d set up a formation and dug in here in Shaanxi.

I could guess the reason.

*****

CAW—!

CAW—!

Beyond the dark stillness, crows cried out. Misfortune flooded the black birds’ cold eyes as they stared in silence.

Above mountain beasts tearing at corpses because there was no prey, a young man walked forward, slowly.

Step.

When the figure appeared, the starving beasts bristled—

But before long, even they trembled and fled.

“Hm~ hmhm~.”

A lazy hum escaping with his breath.

As if the quiet atmosphere itself was funny, the young man fearlessly stepped across the ground.

And while he walked, and walked—

“What are you planning to do?”

An old man following behind asked.

The Plum Blossom Commander of Mount Hua.

At the question, the young man—Strange Demon—turned his head.

“What do you mean?”

At Strange Demon’s bright, casual question, a whirlwind blew through the Plum Blossom Commander’s eyes.

“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m asking. I’m asking why you let the Moon Knight live.”

Sss—

Silence drifted through the sharp air. The pressure of an absolute master crushed down in every direction.

FWOOSH.

But Strange Demon didn’t seem to care. He only opened his fan and covered his face.

“Why did I let him live? The great Plum Blossom Commander says such frightening things. You shouldn’t go around killing people like that. Life is precious by nature—”

SHIIING—!

The tip of a sword touched Strange Demon’s throat.

“Do I look like I’m joking with you?”

“Oh my, how scary......”

“Enough with the worthless act. Answer the question, Strange Demon. Why did you let the Moon Knight live?”

He could have killed him.

Strange Demon could have killed the Moon Knight anytime.

So why let him go?

The Plum Blossom Commander couldn’t understand it.

And because of that—

“That bastard is more meticulous than I expected. Do you even understand that you let things get tangled because you let him slip?”

FLAP—!

The Plum Blossom Commander, anger rising, threw the letter he’d been holding.

“At most, it’s been a few days. In that short time, he identified this many spies. It was shocking.”

Strange Demon glanced down at the letter on the ground. He didn’t pick it up—just that brief look was enough to make his eyes widen slightly.

“Oh my. You’re right? It’s much more accurate than I expected.”

A flat reaction.

Even though their planted spies had been exposed.

“That’s all you’ve got?”

Maybe Strange Demon’s reaction was the issue. The Plum Blossom Commander’s wrinkled brow tightened further.

“If you hadn’t let the Moon Knight live—”

“Oh, come on. Really now.”

THUNK—!

“...!”

With a flick of Strange Demon’s hand, the sword at his throat snapped away.

“You keep blaming me, Commander?”

Strange Demon smiled with his eyes as he folded the fan away.

“Then what? If I’d killed him back then, what would you do after? Fight the Small Moon Unit Leader right there and start a battle?”

That yaksha of a man?

As Strange Demon spoke, the smile widened.

“Everything was beyond what we expected. Even you have to admit that. From the start, the real problem was that the Moon Knight kid found that place at all.”

A fortress Strange Demon had built so no one could find it.

He’d poured a ridiculous amount of effort into layering the formation. Even if the Jegal Clan came out personally, it should have taken at least four days.

And yet—

“He dismantled it in an instant.”

The Moon Knight broke it apart in a blink.

How was that possible?

Even Strange Demon couldn’t understand that part.

I heard he’s Jegal Jin’s blood...

From what he’d gathered, the kid was Jegal blood.

Was that what made the difference?

No. Even so.

Four days was too big a gap. Even Jegal Jin would have needed two days.

But this kid broke it in under half a quarter-hour?

That was insane.

“All these impossible things are piling up. This isn’t the time to blame anyone.”

Strange Demon’s voice carried a quiet irritation now.

“If you want to talk blame, shouldn’t I be the one suspecting you, the one who failed to deal with the Moon Knight and let him come this far?”

“What?”

The Plum Blossom Commander’s expression twisted. Murderous intent started to gather at the tip of his sword—

“But I’m not doing that, am I?”

Strange Demon beamed.

“Let’s not fight each other. It’s pointless posturing. Our goal is the same—why make this harder than it needs to be?”

As if to calm him down, Strange Demon lightly touched the Plum Blossom Commander’s shoulder.

“You get Mount Hua your way. I achieve my goal my way. That’s all.”

The Plum Blossom Commander swatted the hand away like it was disgusting, but Strange Demon didn’t care.

“The Moon Knight was unexpected. The Small Moon Unit Leader was also unexpected... but it’s fine. Thanks to that, I gained something.”

“You gained something?”

What did he gain? The Plum Blossom Commander asked, unable to understand.

“Because the Moon Knight got involved, I obtained the information I wanted.”

Strange Demon stepped forward with a lilting gait.

Yes. A harvest.

The reason HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE had bothered to come all the way to Shaanxi and set up a formation here.

“I learned where the Medical Immortal is.”

The Medical Immortal.

That was what they were searching for.

“And Plum Blossom Single Sword... that must be the Medical Immortal.”

Strange Demon had figured out his identity.