Geugak Soma stood alone in the rear garden of Cheonhwaru.
Geom Mugeuk went to his side and stood beside him.
“It will be cloudy tonight.”
Indeed, just as Geugak Soma said, even now the moon was hidden behind clouds.
“I have good night vision, so I’ll be fine.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Geugak Soma’s gaze turned to him, to Geom Mugeuk looking at him with a bright face beneath the dark night sky.
“There is something I must tell you.”
Even if no one else needed to know, Geugak Soma did.
“It seems the target those behind this were ultimately aiming for was not the Young Alliance Leader, but Cheonhwaru.”
Surprisingly, Geugak Soma did not look shocked. Perhaps, aside from the master of Cheonhwaru, he was the one who best understood its worth.
“If the Pavilion Master is framed for attempting to assassinate the Young Alliance Leader of the Sado Alliance, the dozens of Cheonhwaru establishments throughout the Central Plains will all be forced to close. At that point, those behind this were probably planning to use enormous funds to take over Cheonhwaru, or open new pleasure houses and seize those regions.”
Geugak Soma had once said so before. That the money Cheonhwaru earned was staggering.
Now that it had expanded to a number of pleasure houses incomparable to back then, the current value of Cheonhwaru must be beyond description.
Geugak Soma did not reveal his anger. But Geom Mugeuk could feel it. He was angry. They were people who had tried to kill his woman and steal Cheonhwaru.
“When their source of funds in Shaanxi was cut off, it seems they planned this in order to secure money.”
“And yet, of all people, they were caught by you, Young Cult Leader.”
“That’s thanks to the Dan sisters asking our sect’s small branch for help.”
If she had made a different choice, the outcome would have been completely different from now.
Thinking about it, his bond with the Dan sisters had also been deep. Not only had he been able to save Yeo Jeong, but he had also formed a deep connection with Seo Daeryong.
“Perhaps it was an affinity that Pavilion Master Seo brought to me.”
Geom Mugeuk gave the credit to Seo Daeryong.
“There is something Pavilion Master Seo hangs in his room like a family treasure. Do you know what it is?”
Of course, Geugak Soma sent him a look that said he did not know.
“It is the mask you once gave Pavilion Master Seo as a gift.”
Geugak Soma silently looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“I believe our bonds are connected in that way.”
Just then, from beyond the wall, the sound of people hurrying back and forth could be heard.
“It seems the deputy guildmaster of the Baekgye Merchant Guild has arrived.”
Geom Mugeuk began unwinding the finest Heavenly Silkworm thread wrapped around the hilt of the Black Demon Sword.
“One thing I cannot understand is that, even knowing our sect was involved, they still sent the deputy guildmaster. That is why we must be careful.”
He handed half of the finest Heavenly Silkworm thread to Geugak Soma.
This time, Geugak Soma accepted it without refusing.
The two of them took off their outer garments on the spot and wrapped it around their hearts, stomachs, and other vital parts of their bodies.
“Soma, please be careful.”
“You too, Young Cult Leader.”
The two looked at each other.
“Let us show them whom they tried to lay hands on.”
Within the eyeholes of the mask, Soma’s two eyes smiled coldly.
* * *
Pyeong Wi, the deputy guildmaster of the Baekgye Merchant Guild, entered Cheonhwaru.
A dozen or so subordinates followed behind him. He could have brought more, but in a place swarming with tigers and wolves, having more dogs would make no difference.
“Welcome, Guildmaster Pyeong.”
Yeo Jeong came all the way to the main gate and personally greeted him. Behind Yeo Jeong, Jin Haryeong stayed close, keeping her promise to protect her until the moment before death.
“The guest has already arrived.”
“He is an honored personage. I trust the preparations were made without issue?”
“Do not worry.”
Yeo Jeong led them inside.
In front of Cheonhwaru’s main building stood the Thirteen Wolves of the Sado. Illang examined Pyeong Wi and his subordinates with a sharp gaze.
The merchant guild’s warriors, watching the mood of the Thirteen Wolves of the Sado, took positions at the building entrance and around it.
Illang simply let them do as they pleased. He could have refused to let them in from the start, but he did not.
It was because he judged it better to keep them in sight and watch them.
Moreover, inside this place, warriors of the Demon Annihilation Squad were moving about here and there like workers, maintaining an ironclad defense.
A space for honored guests had been prepared on the first floor of Cheonhwaru.
In the wide space at the center, surrounded in a circle by entertainment rooms, tonight’s banquet had been set. Gorgeous folding screens, fine tables and chairs, and delicacies from mountains and seas prepared by Cheonhwaru’s cooks were laid out until the tables seemed about to break.
Bi Sain sat at the seat of honor.
“I greet the Young Alliance Leader.”
“It has been a long time.”
Pyeong Wi bowed respectfully with a cupped-fist salute. Bi Sain also accepted the greeting lightly.
“I heard you refused when they tried to escort you here.”
“I dislike troublesome things.”
“Allow me to pour you a cup.”
“Receive my drink first.”
After Bi Sain poured wine for him first, he filled his own cup himself. He did not allow Pyeong Wi to lay a hand on the wine bottle at all. The only thing he could do was use poison, after all.
“Thank you for inviting me like this.”
“I have long wished to host you.”
The two toasted and emptied their cups.
“Cheonhwaru is famous for having many beautiful courtesans. Since we have rented out the entire place today, let us bring in all the courtesans and allow you to enjoy yourself!”
The reason Pyeong Wi had asked for a special place to be arranged in this broad space was also because he intended to have every courtesan stand around them on all sides.
Pyeong Wi was about to call for the master of Cheonhwaru when Bi Sain stopped him.
“One moment. Before that, there is something I must say to the deputy guildmaster.”
“Please speak.”
“On the way here, I heard something strange.”
Bi Sain stared straight into Pyeong Wi’s eyes. A face that was frightening even at a glance now looked as if it were glaring, and Pyeong Wi found it truly terrifying.
“It was information that there is a plan to ambush me here at Cheonhwaru.”
“Who would dare scheme such a thing?”
Pyeong Wi’s shocked expression was rather convincing.
“They said it was you.”
Pyeong Wi asked with a confident face,
“Who did?”
At that moment, a voice came from behind.
“I did.”
Geom Mugeuk strode over and took a seat.
Then, without even exchanging greetings, he went straight to the point.
“A great banquet will be held here today. It will be a festival attended by my friends and everyone here. But it will not be a banquet for you.”
Pyeong Wi’s expression hardened. But he was not afraid. He had already anticipated such a situation.
“Today’s banquet will become one for our guild.”
At his words, filled with conviction, Bi Sain asked,
“Let me ask one thing. When you withdrew from Guizhou in the past, why did you spread the rumor that you had paid the money?”
For a moment, Pyeong Wi’s expression twitched.
“Did you say rumor?”
His words were polite, but they were clearly questioning.
“That money was paid by our Baekgye Merchant Guild.”
After saying this, perhaps because anger rose within him, he raised his voice and added,
“Did we not pay it?”
His eyes showed that he truly believed so.
“Because of that matter, the fortunes of our guild declined, and the guildmaster even fell ill from resentment. Yet you, in your position as Young Alliance Leader, dare lie so shamelessly.”
It was clear that he had resolved himself to die.
Bi Sain neither became angry nor made excuses. He only stared at him. To Pyeong Wi, it might have seemed as if he were acknowledging his words, but to Geom Mugeuk, he saw the image of his blunt friend, who simply did not bother with excuses.
“My friend may be of the evil sects, so you might think him cold-blooded and shameless, but at the very least, he is not the petty sort who claims to have given something he never gave.”
Of course, Pyeong Wi did not believe those words.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Bi Sain and said,
“I think I know where they burrowed in.”
Bi Sain understood what Geom Mugeuk meant.
It meant there was someone within the Baekgye Merchant Guild who had embezzled the money. Someone in a position capable of deceiving even this deputy guildmaster. And someone capable of using this man.
“Who is there who could deceive even you?”
Just as Pyeong Wi was about to swallow back the words, What nonsense is this! he flinched in surprise. The image of one person who could currently do such a thing had come to mind.
—I trust only you, Deputy Guildmaster.
The back of the guildmaster’s wife as she kept vigil by the sickbed.
He also recalled her expression after the guildmaster fell ill, as if her soul had been taken by something. And the uncharacteristic venom with which she had begged for revenge.
‘What absurd thoughts!’
Soon, Pyeong Wi glared coldly at the two of them.
“You shameless scoundrels! You remain filthy to the very end!”
Unlike him, who had grown agitated, Geom Mugeuk remained calm.
“Very well. As you say, what did you trust in to come to a place crawling with such wicked men?”
“At least not your consciences.”
“What did the person who sent you say? That if you made the Young Alliance Leader drunk like this, they would come save you?”
“They will not save me.”
Pyeong Wi spoke with a meaningful look in his eyes.
“Because they said no one would leave this place alive today.”
It was at that very moment, as Geom Mugeuk’s and Bi Sain’s gazes met.
Sssssssssss!
From far away came the mournful sound of wind.
In the darkness, a black palanquin was flying toward them, cutting through the air.
As if gliding along an invisible road of silk, the palanquin flew smoothly without making a sound.
Saaak.
Wherever the palanquin passed, flowers and trees withered, and insects and birds fell. The sight was as though all life nearby vanished and the world turned black and white.
From the lanterns held in the hands of the four black-clad figures flying with it, standing on all sides of the palanquin, a blue light like ghost fire flowed out.
The Faceless Guests who had been hiding around Cheonhwaru revealed themselves from every direction.
On the roof of Cheonhwaru, Geugak Soma watched the scene with his arms crossed.
Geugak Soma gave no order to stop it, nor any order to attack.
The Faceless Guests watched with cold gazes as the palanquin passed.
A suffocating, dreadful energy flowed out from within the palanquin.
The gazes of the Faceless Guests turned again toward the place from which the palanquin had flown. The palanquin was not the only thing that had come here today.
At the end of the road, within the darkness, something was densely gathered.
Just as the sinister energy seemed to grow stronger little by little,
They all opened their eyes at once.
What could be seen in the darkness were countless pupils.
Every pupil had a white rim around it. It gave off a truly bizarre feeling.
Geugak Soma could tell. He knew what martial art produced eyes like that when cultivated.
Dark Heaven Night Divine Art.
It was a martial art that could only be used at night, allowing one to display strength far beyond their original abilities. In exchange, once one cultivated it, one could never again see sunlight.
They allowed the palanquin through, but they did not allow those people to pass.
The Faceless Guests all descended and lined up to block them from coming closer.
Some of the Faceless Guests crouched on tree branches, while others stood atop the wall and looked down at them.
The smiling eyes within their masks held no fear whatsoever. It did not matter who the opponent was, or where they had come from. Whether their pupils had white rims or yellow rims, fear was something the other side ought to feel.
Because the place they came from was the Valley of Villains.
The palanquin descended into the front courtyard of Cheonhwaru.
The lantern light in the hands of the four black-clad figures bewitched the minds of those who looked upon it.
“Kraaagh!”
A warrior of the merchant guild near the palanquin, staring at the light as if entranced, staggered toward it before vomiting blood and collapsing. The one with the weakest inner strength among them had been affected first.
They retreated from the palanquin.
Instead, the one standing before it was Jin Hagun, who had been carrying wine bottles.
Jin Hagun stared at the palanquin with sunken eyes. The subordinates of the Demon Annihilation Squad deployed around the palanquin, encircling it. The aura of the four standing at the corners of the palanquin was far from ordinary.
Whoooooosh.
A fierce wind blew in and opened all the doors on the first floor of Cheonhwaru at once.
The moment Geom Mugeuk saw the palanquin, he knew who the opponent was.
The Sixth King among the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
Dark King Heuk Sarin.
Among the Twelve Zodiac Kings, she was known to be the weakest by day and the strongest by night.
Though she was a woman, she was said to use the power of darkness, and when night fell, no one dared challenge her—a true ruler of the night.
Her martial arts were like treasure buried deep in darkness, known to no one.
At last, a woman’s voice came from within the palanquin.
“All those who will rule the future of murim have gathered here.”
It was an exceedingly bewitching voice, one that shook a person’s very soul. One of the merchant company’s warriors, who had retreated at the sound of her voice, began walking toward the palanquin.
Jin Hagun subdued the acupoints of the man as he passed by his side, then flung him backward.
Then he sent a voice transmission to his subordinates.
—There is an energy in her voice that controls the mind. All of you, steady your hearts and raise your internal energy to resist it.
Geom Mugeuk answered her words.
“Isn’t the future murim what you people are trying to dominate? It seems to me you’re working even harder than we are.”
A woman’s laughter came from within the palanquin. It was clear and gentle, a laugh that made the listener’s heart feel pleasantly at ease. But her laughter shook the mind even more powerfully than her words had.
“As expected, Young Cult Leader, you recognize me at a glance.”
“Who are you?”
Geom Mugeuk asked her, pretending not to know.
“I am a sinful soul who cannot live in the light.”
“Then you’ve met the right man. Was I not once the Pavilion Master of Hwangcheon Pavilion? I’m quite good at handling sinners. Would you like to receive a consultation? In a month, you might even repent and turn over a new leaf.”
“As expected, Young Cult Leader, you are as delightful as the rumors say.”
“I could have lived even more delightfully if only you people didn’t exist.”
The woman laughed softly.
“I am well aware that you have been deeply involved in our affairs, Young Cult Leader. Thanks to you, many plans have been changed.”
After my return, so much had truly changed. We had grown stronger, and they had grown weaker.
I could not know what effect this change might have had on Hwa Mugi. Why he remained silent. Whether he would appear at that time in the future, as fate had originally dictated, or whether he would emerge earlier. Or perhaps even later. It was truly impossible to know.
“Your plans will continue to change. As you can see, we’re younger and more vigorous than you are, are we not? If we keep blocking you again and again, you people will grow old and die first.”
Beside him was Bisain, and far off in the courtyard was Jin Hagun; the three of them looked at one another.
The woman spoke again in that same soft, bewitching voice.
“What a pity. That I will no longer be able to see this wonderful friendship.”
And that confidence was not something she was speaking of herself.
“There is someone here who very much wished to see our Young Cult Leader.”
For an instant, Geom Mugeuk was startled. It was truly unexpected.
The door of the palanquin began to open slowly.
The inside of the palanquin, veiled by bead curtains, was dark. Even with Divine Eye Art, which could see through any curtain, he could not see inside. In other words, some special art of darkness was being used within.
In a silence so still it seemed no one even breathed, everyone’s gaze focused there.
Clank.
With a metallic sound, a man’s hand emerged and parted the bead curtain.
From the blackened, dead skin on the back of his hand, poison energy was rising, and as if to suppress that energy, chains flowing with a blue light were wrapped tightly around it.
Through the parted curtain, the man’s face appeared.
His face was even more horrifying. A face charred black and twisted, with only his intense eyes shining coldly.
“It’s been a long time.”