Early in the morning, Hyeok Gi-rin and Black Cat faced off in the inn’s yard, ready to engage in a light bout of hand techniques.
Hyeok Gi-rin sparkled his eyes as he looked at Black Cat.
It was because Black Cat’s posture had completely changed.
“It seems you’ve learned some new martial arts over there.”
“Yeah, it’s just a newly started art, so I hope you’ll let it slide.”
“I understand. I won’t let my guard down while sparring with you.”
“I’m off then.”
As Black Cat advanced, wrapped in Qi, Hyeok Gi-rin instinctively sensed that Black Cat’s new martial art was extraordinary.
What Hyeok Gi-rin witnessed was not a set technique but rather relied heavily on Black Cat’s own instincts.
This was largely due to the fact that the level of martial arts Black Cat had absorbed was not very high.
Black Cat’s posture was mostly improvised. To break through the years of refinement and painstakingly tested martial arts, there was no choice but to adopt such a method.
Thus, Black Cat’s momentum was always sharp, like a blade.
However, today’s Black Cat was different.
The tremendous essence of a Peak Stage martial artist, which fully embraced the individual temperament of Black Cat, now oozed from her hands.
Though her proficiency was lacking and somewhat awkward, Hyeok Gi-rin could feel a solid pressure coming from Black Cat, as if it were a fortress charging forward.
Feeling this pressure, Hyeok Gi-rin smiled.
“Finally, you’ve learned a proper upward martial art.”
In an instant, Qi formed around Hyeok Gi-rin’s sword.
“Let’s see how great your martial arts really are.”
Kaaang!!
Though Black Cat closed the distance, it was Hyeok Gi-rin who took the initiative. He wasn’t consciously utilizing the Four-Finger Saber Technique due to the external circumstances, but his speed was still sufficient to take the lead against Black Cat.
Despite the initiative being taken from her, Black Cat unstintingly reached out to receive Hyeok Gi-rin’s sword and reduced the distance again.
Hyeok Gi-rin, with his sword piercing forward, kept extending the distance, staying on the offensive against Black Cat.
Kakang! Kkang!
As seconds passed, Hyeok Gi-rin’s eyes shifted towards Black Cat’s arm.
“How solid.”
Having tasted the most solid method known as the Minor Divine Skill, Hyeok Gi-rin secretly nodded.
The Qi enveloping the body should naturally be more robust than that which envelops a weapon.
No matter how skillfully one handles a weapon, it can never surpass the reality of their own limbs. High-quality Qi is an essential advantage for martial artists who use their hands and feet instead of weapons.
Black Cat had not yet mastered a proper method of Qi operation.
With her inadequate Qi unable to fully protect her hands, she risked losses. However, by mastering the world’s most solid unarmed fighting technique, she had transcended her previous chronic weakness into a strength.
Zzzt!
Seeing his own sword, Hyeok Gi-rin couldn’t help but smirk. As if the already tricky Nine Yin technique had now incorporated a maneuver that needed no retreat, his Qi began to freeze in an instant.
Seeing Hyeok Gi-rin’s Qi freeze, Black Cat’s eyes sparkled, and her hands reached out.
Before shaking off the Nine Yin technique and fully reviving her Qi, she unleashed a fierce attack to completely dominate Hyeok Gi-rin’s blade.
Bam bam bam!
In an instant, two palm strikes and two waves of energy surged around Hyeok Gi-rin.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s sword was partially frozen, dimming in the face of such a fierce assault.
Black Cat, confident that she could gain an upper hand even if she didn’t win, widened her eyes in surprise.
The frozen state of Hyeok Gi-rin’s sword suddenly revived.
Hyeok Gi-rin, noticing Black Cat’s astonished expression, laughed.
“Do you think I was just playing around?”
Hyeok Gi-rin had been defeated effortlessly by the Black Dragon Qi of Heavenly Demon Wi Seoryeon.
He never forgot that moment and researched how to counter the Black Dragon Qi.
And the fruits of that effort were now unfolding right before him.
Boom!
Hyeok Gi-rin shook off Black Cat’s Nine Yin technique and clashed head-on with both her energy and techniques.
To both relieve the force of the collision, the two naturally stepped back.
Feeling that this had crossed the boundaries of just a friendly match, they each loosened their hands and sheathed their swords.
“You’ve really gained an impressive upward martial art! Congratulations!”
“Hahaha… thank you.”
“May I ask what technique you’ve learned?”
Black Cat broke into a cold sweat at Hyeok Gi-rin’s sparkling gaze. While she was genuinely happy that Hyeok Gi-rin was celebrating her upward martial art, she couldn’t tell him that it was the Minor Divine Skill, widely known in the Martial World for its demonic techniques.
“I-I also don’t know the name of the technique…”
“Ooh, I see. It must be a technique with a story!”
Hyeok Gi-rin scoffed at Black Cat’s overly fancy answer while wildly gesturing his hands. Seeing this, Black Cat started to sweat profusely.
Desperately searching the surroundings for a way to divert the conversation, Black Cat’s gaze suddenly landed on one specific place.
“…Senior?”
“Uh, uh?”
There stood Ho Cheon-an, looking uncomfortable like a puppy that needs to poop.
Proposed by Moyong Seo, the faction infiltration operation might seem absurd at first glance, but in reality… it wasn’t a bad plan.
To be honest, it was a pretty good method.
To figure out what Shengsu Faction was plotting, time was essential.
Thus, if they were to remain within Shengsu Faction, they’d have to find any method to settle in without drawing attention.
Ultimately, it would take some improvisation and forceful reasoning.
And there’s a magical word that rationalizes such forced methods.
That word is “emotion.”
What’s the peak of such emotions?
Love.
Think of Romeo and Juliet.
First, there’s Romeo.
Considered well off, except for the fact that he belonged to a family of enemies.
Initially, Romeo fell in love with Rosaline, a member of their rival family.
Rosaline was sharp enough to reject him instantly.
Yet, unable to recover from that rejection, Romeo infiltrated the enemy family, only to instantly fall for Juliet.
Having previously lamented that he could only love Rosaline, he quickly switched his affection to Juliet.
And it didn’t end there!
His infiltration led to death, and out for revenge, he even engaged with Juliet’s family.
Despite all that, he continued his romance with Juliet.
What a real piece of work!
Juliet wasn’t any more admirable than Romeo.
As the only daughter of the clan leader, she grew up trusted and pampered.
It was fine that she fell in love with Romeo.
But when Romeo was banished for killing a member of her family, she stubbornly declared her intention to marry him.
Refusing an arranged marriage with her family’s enemy, she even created a scene, pretending to be dead before her marriage.
Finally, concocting a crazy plan to have a secret wedding, she returned to life afterward.
You can only imagine how furious her family was.
It was no wonder a new enemy was emerging.
In an instant, Romeo shifted his affections, and even after the death of his comforting friend, he continued his romance with Juliet.
Juliet didn’t give a care about family matters at all.
Both were clearly in the wrong.
Yet their stories have long resonated as tragic romances that have touched countless hearts.
The power of “love,” that magical word, can wash away even the most absurd behavior.
That’s the true lesson from the tales of Romeo and Juliet.
So while I agree with utilizing that all-powerful strength…
“Wow, you really did get a fantastic upward martial art! Congratulations!”
“Hahaha… Thank you.”
“May I ask about the technique you acquired?”
“I-I don’t really know the name either…”
“Ooh, I see. It must be a special Minor Divine Skill with a backstory!”
…which is fine.
But the problem lies in the flustered Black Cat and the way Yeo Il-ye gazed at them with a rewarding look.
Both had already harbored feelings for each other much earlier.
To show their consideration, they tactfully stepped back.
Having received such consideration, I began to wonder whether it wouldn’t be fun to secretly mimic a romantic relationship with Moyong Yeon-hwa.
“…Senior? Why is your expression like that?”
Black Cat approached with a puzzled look as Hyeok Gi-rin also moved closer.
“Did something happen in the mine? Did you get discovered?”
“N-no…”
…Actually, now that I think of it, I was discovered by Moyong Mo.
Of course, that wasn’t the main issue.
As I stammered, curious gazes surrounded me, from Yeo Il-ye to Tang Do-yeon and Tang So-yeol who all concentrated their attention on me.
Recognizing that there was no point in hiding it, I realized the truth.
We might have to stealthily stay in Shengsu faction for several days, there was no way to hide it all that time.
“Um… just yesterday, I discussed methods for infiltrating Shengsu Faction with Great Hero Moyong Seo.”
“Oh, is there such a method?”
I quietly revealed the plan discussed with Moyong Seo and Moyong Yeon-hwa.
“…that’s the plan…”
After my statement ended, an eerie silence fell.
The first to break this heavy silence was Black Cat.
“Bring that woman here. Right now.”
“Yes.”
I had no choice in the matter.
“Should we broker terms with Great Hero Moyong Seo as well?”
“In this case, I wish my concealed identity wasn’t just a mask. If I were who I really am, I would’ve charged in without hesitation…”
Tang So-yeol, puffing on his pipe, was keenly observing Black Cat and Hyeok Gi-rin with interest.
Both looked ready to kill someone at any moment.
“Are you planning a war with the Moyong Clan?”
Well, Yeo Il-ye still maintained some sense.
“If we can just properly handle Moyong Yeon-hwa, we should be fine.”
Was it just that the target was different?
Both were brimming with the intent to kill.
Tang So-yeol poked the cold-sweating Ho Cheon-an in the corner. Paul was just awkwardly slumped, not saying anything. How precious was such a character?
“You’re just a foolish disciple. A foolish disciple.”
“…”
The lively conversation about life and death unfolding here was not in an inn but rather a hidden place of execution.
Unless there was any major ruckus, it was an unlikely site for visitors.
From selecting the spot to the dialogue exchanged, all branches of philosophy were communicated.
All Ho Cheon-an could do was sweat profusely without any further escape.
“…You came.”
Hyeok Gi-rin’s eerie voice echoed in the hidden place of execution.
Moyong Yeon-hwa appeared at the execution site.
“Welcome, Miss Moyong Yeon-hwa.”
“How have you been?”
“I was fine, just until recently.”
Upon hearing Black Cat’s sharp voice, Moyong Yeon-hwa assessed the situation and glanced toward Ho Cheon-an.
Since it was an event transpiring within the Shengsu Faction, as long as she devised an appropriate excuse, it would be easy to navigate the situation. Had she opted for a frontal approach, it would be a different story.
“You intend to pose as lovers to infiltrate Shengsu Faction?”
“Yesterday, we discussed that, but it seems there’s been a complication.”
Moyong Yeon-hwa responded calmly while being scrutinized by the three sharp gazes.
While they were somewhat worried, there was truth to her words.
Moyong Yeon-hwa, recalling how Great Hero Moyong Seo had been so excited about the infiltration plan, felt troubled.
Moyong Seo appeared to be banking heavily on their romantic act, while Moyong Yeon-hwa thought the opposite.
“If the Brain Knife Outcast is highly esteemed by my uncle, how could we be so distracted by a mere act of romance and forget about the essence of this infiltration?”
What was the underlying purpose of their act as if they were drawn to each other?
It was all to buy time to extract information from Shengsu Faction.
Extracting information from Shengsu would be challenging enough; would it be wise to indulge in the fleeting sweetness of a mere illusion of romance?
“What’s the purpose of pretending to be lovers? It’s all to gather intel from Shengsu Faction. Focusing on that alone is a considerable task.”
It was about conveying what the feeling of being in love actually feels like to Ho Cheon-an.
Moyong Yeon-hwa believed that accomplishing such a goal would be the extent of their ability during their infiltration.
“Moreover…”
Moyong Yeon-hwa glanced towards the corner, where Ho Cheon-an was.
Martial arts, reputation, strategy, ingenuity—all components that constituted Ho Cheon-an were appealing.
However, contrasting the amazing facets he showcased yesterday, the current image of him, sweating profusely in a corner while being poked by Tang So-yeol, was far from attractive.
Even a decade of love could wither away, and it was no surprise Moyong Yeon-hwa entertained such thoughts.
“If it’s about the clan’s wishes, I will adhere to it, but…”
Moyong Yeon-hwa’s personal admiration for Ho Cheon-an had completely evaporated.
“Um.”
Caught in that gaze, the trio rediscovered their rationality.
Exchanging looks, the three grouped together.
“It doesn’t seem like they harbor any actual feelings.”
“Although we fabricated this, it feels inappropriate to say so when Ho Senior appears like that, which could hardly inspire any affection from a lady.”
“That does sound right, but… if the Honorable Person performs well, perceptions might change.”
“Hmm.”
“Would we fall into the same trap as when we encountered the Yongji Maeng?”
Having heard stories of Ho Cheon-an’s actions during those days, the expressions of the two shifted in distaste.
“Haaa. If it weren’t for that scoundrel Jeong Cheol…”
Yeo Il-ye grit his teeth.
To draw Jeong Cheol out from hiding, they required the assistance of a renowned faction or clan from all over the Central Plains.
If they failed to deal with Moyong Clan’s matters now, it was unclear when they would find such an opportunity again, hence they couldn’t solely voice opposition.
After some time deliberating, the three looked back at Moyong Yeon-hwa.
“We’ll support this operation.”
“Thank goodness. I was at my wit’s end trying to find another way.”
“But! There’s a condition.”
“A condition?”
Black Cat indicated her conditions to Moyong Yeon-hwa, who thought it over for a moment and nodded.
“I’m counting on you to conduct a perfectly rational investigation without any sentiment.”
“Of course.”
From the sidelines, Ho Cheon-an let out a sigh of relief as he observed the dramatic resolution.
The trio exchanged glances and welcomed the sight with smiles.
With the visions of future possibilities shadowing Ho Cheon-an and a glimmerous smile forming on Moyong Seo as he envisioned Ho Cheon-an becoming Moyong Cheon-an, meanwhile, Moyong Yeon-hwa’s fondness for Ho Cheon-an sharply diminished.
As for Moyong Mo and another unnamed individual who were still oblivious to the entire situation…
Thus, the infiltration operation of Moyong Clan into Shengsu Faction began with no foresight.
