Shadows of the Sect
Woo-gang emerged from the bandit lair and pressed on briskly.
It was time to focus entirely on finding traces of Siu.
For now, he decided to head to the last place where Siu's trail had been spotted.
Years had passed, so the odds of discovering anything new there were slim to none.
No, it was safe to say there was zero chance.
Still, it felt like the right place to start.
Without that, everything would seem hopelessly vague.
'No traces of a fight,' Woo-gang recalled the story he'd heard before leaving the Bing Palace.
Though time had passed, Han Si-rang's words remained etched in his mind, every syllable intact.
'Grandfather couldn't have been on their side.'
Woo-gang muttered inwardly as he remembered that night in the desert.
He'd been too young and caught up in the chaos to judge properly back then, but looking back now, one thing was clear.
Siu had treated the intruders as enemies.
The thief who stole the Bing Jeong.
Siu descending to the Central Plains in connection with him.
And then Siu's disappearance.
If it all linked together, it made no sense that Siu would side with them.
'Then... why would he go with them without fighting?'
That was the most natural hypothesis following his line of thought.
But it only led to another question: 'Why?'
"Haa..."
Woo-gang let out a deep sigh.
Suddenly snapping to, he noticed the surroundings darkening.
"Gotta hurry."
Otherwise, he'd end up camping right in the middle of the road.
Woo-gang picked up his pace, sprinting along the path.
Despite his haste, darkness fully claimed the world before he spotted a village.
Resigned to the outdoor sleep he'd hoped to avoid, he found a suitable spot and settled in.
Gathering branches into a pile, he ignited them with the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong and sat blankly before the flames.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind made the fire flicker.
"I'm from the Bing Palace White Wolf Squad."
A stranger's voice rang out, but Woo-gang kept his eyes on the fire, utterly unsurprised.
"You sought me out for some news?"
"No major breakthroughs, but I felt I should report in person."
The Bing Palace warrior who appeared out of nowhere bowed respectfully to Woo-gang.
Disciple of the Flame King, survivor of the Hanchon Secret Cave trial.
That alone earned Woo-gang ample respect.
"Insufficient clues make it hard to say for sure, but it seems connected to your sect."
"My sect? Grandfather's and mine?"
"Yes."
Woo-gang's expression hardened.
He'd never heard anything about his sect before.
Not its name, nor its history.
If it was tied to that, there'd be much more to uncover ahead.
'That night too... Grandfather didn't act like they were total strangers.'
Woo-gang recalled the desert night.
Siu's words, the intruder's reaction, the atmosphere.
He'd glossed over it in confusion back then, but now it struck him differently.
A feeling somewhere between familiarity and strangeness lingered in his mind.
"So it wasn't a kidnapping—he went with them willingly?"
"If it's sect-related, that's likely. Which also means high odds of survival."
Woo-gang stared into the campfire, his mind a tangle.
"But if so, there's one problem."
"Problem?"
"Yes."
Woo-gang eyed the Bing Palace warrior, then spoke as realization dawned.
"It's all speculation. Don't jump to conclusions."
"If the Flame King was involved in stealing the Bing Jeong, he can't escape responsibility."
With those words, more Bing Palace warriors emerged.
Woo-gang had anticipated this too, rising calmly without panic.
"I said it clearly: that's just a guess, nothing confirmed. If the Palace Lord decides that, I'll accept it. But not your personal verdict."
He stated firmly, yet stayed alert for any move.
The Bing Palace warriors watched him.
Tension crackled thick in the air.
Shh.
Woo-gang quietly gripped the spear leaning against a nearby tree.
"I don't want to fight you."
He meant it.
He hadn't shared much camaraderie or time with them at the Bing Palace.
Still, after staying there a while, he felt a certain fondness and gratitude.
No desire whatsoever to swing his spear at them.
But if it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate.
Hearing his words and seeing the spear, conflict flickered in the warriors' eyes.
Woo-gang gauged them; they gauged him.
Silence stretched in standoff.
Finally, the Bing Palace warriors eased their guards.
They'd only meant to pressure him, wondering if he knew something they didn't.
"You're right—it's just speculation for now. But if it proves true, the entire Bing Palace will hold you accountable."
"Understood."
Woo-gang relaxed his grip on the spear.
"We'll keep searching for the Flame King and the Bing Jeong, but we ask the disciple's utmost efforts as well."
"...Understood."
The words sounded like a nudge: don't waste time here.
True intent unclear, but it stung regardless.
The Bing Palace warriors vanished as one.
The campfire's warmth spread rapidly, chasing away their chill.
Woo-gang set down his spear and slumped back to the ground.
He needed sleep to travel, but this night felt sleepless.
In the end, he kept a vigilant watch until dawn nearly broke, then dozed fitfully.
In a certain imposing manor.
The reception hall's atmosphere was as frigid as the northern Bing Palace air Woo-gang had known.
The chill stemmed from the two men facing each other.
One was a hulking brute so massive he barely seemed human; the other, sturdy but gaunt by comparison.
The skinny man wore a faint smirk; the giant seethed with imminent rage.
"If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to show my face. The loss doesn't matter—how utterly pathetic do you have to be for that to happen? Hehehehehe!"
The skinny man sneered at the giant, then let out an irritating cackle.
His face flushed deeper at the sound.
Yet the more enraged the giant grew, the broader the skinny man's smile.
Anyone could see their relationship was rotten.
"All your guys half-crippled or dead? And they torched the place too. Wow... who gutsy enough to hit Daewoongbang underlings? Thought they looked easy? No way. Our Hwang Bangju's terrifying, after all. That guy's got balls as big as you. Nothing else explains it."
The skinny man kept needling.
The giant clenched his fists white-knuckled, glaring silently.
"Too embarrassed to go out? Want me to catch him and make him kneel? Just hand over one commission. I'll bag him in days."
"Shut your trap. I'll catch him myself. And I ain't giving you shit, so get lost!"
"Aigoo, scary! Gotta respect our Hwang Bangju's foul temper. Fine, I'll go."
The skinny man rose slowly.
But before leaving, he turned back.
"If shame's gonna kill you or he's too tough, say the word. Fellow travelers on the same path—can't deny a little help? Think it over. Don't make it worse."
Tap tap.
He patted the giant's shoulder lightly and exited.
Bam! Crash!
Unable to contain himself, the giant slammed the table.
The splintering echoed outside; the skinny man smirked triumphantly.
"Ha! Feels like old heartburn's gone. Let's move!"
Grinning, he led his waiting subordinates away.
Bam!
The giant burst into the office.
A tense subordinate trailed behind.
"Send everyone now—bring that bastard in!"
"But we don't know where he went, no description. Even bandits aside, doing it solo means he's highly skilled..."
Slap!
Sparks flew before his eyes; his ears rang.
His right cheek went numb, then agony hit late.
Yet the subordinate straightened with superhuman effort.
The giant glared murderously.
"When I snap, you're torn limb from limb right here. And I'm one step from snapping. So send everyone—catch that fucker by any means! Can't bring him alive? Sever the head."
Trembling in terror of dismemberment, the subordinate still replied swiftly.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Tell 'em: fail, and they all die—full purge."
"Got it!"
The subordinate bolted out.
"Hoo..."
The giant took deep breaths to calm down.
He gripped a nearby chair, standing still to compose himself.
But one phrase nagged inescapably.
"Fellow travelers on the same path—can't deny a little help? Think it over. Don't make it worse."
The skinny man's parting words echoed relentlessly.
Crack!
Rage surged anew; the chair shattered in his grasp.
"Arrrghhh!"
Only after smashing the office's furnishings in a frenzy could the giant finally settle his fury.