“Well, you can just go like this.”
“Hmm. Please take care of the disguise.”
“Ugh.”
I quietly slipped out of the Jeokgwi Daebyeol’s stronghold. Although I was a prisoner escaping, the familiar faces of guards and patrollers pretended not to see me as they passed by.
They were members of Jeokgwi Daebyeol who knew my identity due to their excessive suppression efforts.
I guess you could call them my dedicated agents.
Anyway, as I received a not-really farewell from the familiar Jeokgwi Daebyeol members, I left the stronghold.
Currently, the factions of Sadoryeon had no choice but to be on high alert regarding Jeokgwi Daebyeol’s movements. They had withdrawn the Sokryeong Sect from Sadoryeon, and even captured the Sect Leader’s children from the Dark Dragon Sect.
Even if there were Outcast Faction Forces already monitoring Jeokgwi Daebyeol, it wouldn’t be strange. In their eyes, Yongji Maeng was merely a scapegoat put forth by I-seol, so they wouldn’t particularly pay attention, but caution is always wise.
I walked quietly along the mountain path in the dead of night.
The Sokryeong Sect had officially withdrawn from Sadoryeon.
I also heard rumors that Dokgo I-seol had risen to the position of the Dark Dragon Sect’s Sect Leader.
Thinking of Dokgo I-seol made me feel a bit bitter, but well… it was probably just an illusion. Right now, I was not Yongji Maeng but Ho Cheon-an.
As I walked through the pitch-black mountain path where not even the moonlight shone, I quietly organized my thoughts about my identity as Yongji Maeng.
It feels good to be at the peak.
Even walking a mountain path in total darkness without a single light, I didn’t trip or stumble.
As I walked through the enveloping darkness, someone spoke next to me.
“What are you thinking about?”
It was Hyeok Gi-rin, who had foreseen my escape from the stronghold.
“Nothing much. As I walk this moonless night path, I suddenly feel my level has increased.”
“Hehe, I think I understand that feeling.”
Hyeok Gi-rin laughed in agreement.
“There was a time when I felt like I had conquered the night after reaching the peak as well. I used to take pride in walking through the mountains at night.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It must have looked impressive to the disciples because one of them tried to follow me on a nighttime stroll and ended up twisting their ankle. After that incident, nighttime strolls were banned.”
“Ha ha.”
“Soon, I will show my true self to my junior.”
At Hyeok Gi-rin’s words, I felt puzzled.
“Doesn’t Miss Yeo Il-ye know about the true identity of Great Hero Hyeok Gi-rin?”
“I think she has a rough idea. We’ve seen each other for a long time, but I’ve never shown her my true feminine side.”
“I see.”
“My junior is very perceptive. She must have thought at least once about wanting to see my feminine side, but she has never made such a request. I suppose she was being considerate.”
Hyeok Gi-rin seemed pretty excited about meeting Yeo Il-ye after a long time. As we walked, sharing various anecdotes between Hyeok Gi-rin and Yeo Il-ye, dawn began to break.
“Oh, I see it over there.”
In the distance, Bicheongmacha began to appear. Black Cat waved her hands energetically as if she had spotted me and Hyeok Gi-rin.
The attention of our group, who had been surveying the surroundings, shifted towards us. Though it was a long distance away, I could see everyone expressing their own forms of joy.
The infiltration of Sokryeong Sect had come to an end—long or short, it didn’t matter.
*
The reunion with the group was quite complicated.
“Hyeok Gi-rin~”
“No, Black Cat… your hair…”
Overjoyed after seeing Hyeok Gi-rin after a long time, Black Cat immediately embraced Hyeok Gi-rin, leaving Hyeok Gi-rin shocked at her white hair.
“Something happened. Don’t worry, my hair color will return soon! By the way, it’s been so long!”
“Ah, huff… I’m happy to see you too.”
Black Cat rubbed her face against Hyeok Gi-rin’s cheek and caused quite a ruckus.
“Um…”
Yeo Il-ye made a complex expression, unsure of how to react to Hyeok Gi-rin without her disguise.
“It’s been a long time.”
“…Yes, it has.”
After a moment of sharing experiences, the special bond between the Jeomchang Faction’s seniors returned to its usual form.
“This is Hyeok Gi-rin known as the Great Hero from the Martial World.”
“I am Tang So-yeol.”
“Master, I just learned about Great Hero Hyeok Gi-rin’s gender…”
“I know. Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret.”
I only revealed Hyeok Gi-rin’s gender to Tang Do-yeon and Tang So-yeol, but kept her identity hidden. The fact that the Grand Master of the Jeomchang Faction was indeed a woman and that she was the princess of Huang Nation was a different story altogether.
Anyways, we casually had a meal to catch up and get acquainted. Black Cat stuck close to Hyeok Gi-rin, while Yeo Il-ye smiled at the sight of them.
The two of them, who had a complicated relationship after the confrontation in the novel, now felt more comfortable with each other with Hyeok Gi-rin as the lubricant between them.
“Hmm.”
Tang So-yeol also looked at Hyeok Gi-rin with an unusual glint in her eyes.
Seeing her frequently wiggling her fingers, she seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to touch Hyeok Gi-rin’s cheek.
“Uh, Master seems like a pervert.”
“Shut up, my disciple.”
Instead of just building a good rapport and gaining favor naturally to touch her discreetly, there she was scheming some odd way as if she’s planning a shortcut.
That was so Tang So-yeol-like, considering how hard her life seems to be.
Aside from the incident with Bicheongmacha, Tang Do-yeon, who was a solidly rational person, spoke with a wry smile at Hyeok Gi-rin, who had attracted everyone’s attention.
“So, what’s your plan now? The Sokryeong Sect has withdrawn from Sadoryeon, and the pressure from the other sects is starting to show.”
The gaze that had been focused on Hyeok Gi-rin shifted back to me.
It was indeed time to finalize the next choice. The threat of the Prologue and the withdrawal of Sokryeong Sect…
“Hmm.”
The original intention of stalling was achieved, but… it certainly felt disappointing to just step back in this situation. Since I could use the card of Jeokgwi Daebyeol.
Our party had several Peak Experts among us, but we were still lacking in power to confront the major sects representing the provinces.
However, with Hyeok Gi-rin’s addition, or rather, by joining forces with Jeokgwi Daebyeol, that strength had somewhat increased.
It was more about public power than brute force, but strength is strength nonetheless.
I turned my head toward Hyeok Gi-rin.
“Great Hero Hyeok Gi-rin, have you heard where Jeokgwi Daebyeol is headed?”
It wouldn’t have been part of Hyeok Gi-rin’s plan to meet me, so she probably had her own plans involving Jeokgwi Daebyeol. I thought I might as well listen to that plan.
“I heard they’re heading to Imchang.”
Imchang. That’s the stronghold of Odokmun, right?
Indeed, Odokmun would not be a strange sect for the royal guard to attack.
They deal with various illegal drugs, cultivating and trafficking for profit.
“Odokmun…”
Odokmun.
Like the Tang Clan, they specialize in poisons. Not just poisons but various underground drugs. They deal with spring medicine, which is a staple in the martial arts novels, or even drugs that could intoxicate martial artists.
“Hmm.”
As Odokmun was mentioned, Tang Do-yeon and Tang So-yeol frowned.
Because Odokmun, being a sect dealing in poison, often found itself on the same list of controversies as the Tang Clan. However, the level difference between Odokmun and the Tang Clan was enormous.
It would be like comparing top-notch martial artists with Peak Experts.
For a Peak Expert, it must be utterly absurd to be mentioned in the same breath as a top-notch martial artist.
That must be how the Tang Clan feels too.
There’s another reason why the Tang Clan dislikes Odokmun.
The Tang Clan exercises utmost caution when using poison. However, that is not the case with Odokmun. They use poisons they would manage as a last resort without hesitation, so how could the Tang Clan look at them positively?
To say that Odokmun is the source of all the bad prejudices about poison would be no exaggeration, and it was the Tang Clan that suffered from the prejudices held by people, which is why they couldn’t view Odokmun favorably, regardless of the righteous or the outcast factions.
“If the next target is Odokmun, then I agree.”
Rarely did Tang Do-yeon speak so strongly.
“It’s not often you get a chance to achieve your goals by riding on the movements of the Imperial Army, so it’s not a bad idea.”
“With Miss Tang So-yeol and Miss Tang Do-yeon here, we should be able to deal with Odokmun’s poisons too.”
The party expressed their positive opinions as well. It seemed everyone didn’t have any major complaints about targeting Odokmun.
I too thought hitting Odokmun sounded like a reasonable plan.
“Then let’s move toward Imchang.”
“Mm.”
The next destination was Imchang.
We moved to strike at Odokmun, one of the factions of Sadoryeon.
