Know Your Place
“Elder Brother.”
Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi reported to Yeon So-hyeon.
“Word just came that the carriage procession has entered the valley.”
Yeon So-hyeon rose from his seat.
“Our new allies are arriving.”
“Recruiting both the ward chiefs and the houses that stood against them as allies at the same time, so that each side keeps the other in check… I cannot help but admire Elder Brother’s strategy. However…”
Yeon Bi’s expression clouded with unease.
“Those houses are not fundamentally different from the ward chiefs we just dealt with.”
“True.”
With Chief Maid Jeong-a’s assistance, Yeon So-hyeon finished arranging his robes and gave a slight nod.
“They know nothing of a greater cause. For such people to keep multiplying among our allies…”
Yeon Bi cut himself short. To say any more would have felt like opposing his elder brother’s will.
“Yeon Bi. You are skilled at drawing good people close and building excellent relationships with them.”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s gentle gaze and unexpected praise, the Fourth Young Master scratched the back of his head.
“…A meager talent, at best.”
“Not meager at all.”
The loyalty Yeon Bi’s subordinates showed him did not spring merely from the strategic brilliance that belied his years. His character and conduct possessed a gift and a charm that bound him and his men together like family.
“But listen.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s tone was as soft as the look he gave his brother.
“If you truly mean to accomplish great things, good people who suit you, excellent people alone, will never be enough.”
The gentleness meant to soothe Yeon Bi’s heart was one thing. Once his attire was in order, Yeon So-hyeon’s presence radiated a dignity sharper than usual.
“…As Elder Brother says.”
“As you pointed out, those houses share no real connection with us beyond a grudge against the Second and Third Young Masters’ factions.”
Yeon So-hyeon continued while gazing out the window.
“Their natures are not especially vicious, and they have not committed any great evils… yet.”
A twisted smile curved his lips.
“That is only because they fell out of favor with the Second and Third Young Masters and were pushed from the mainstream.”
“Meaning they never had the opportunity to do much wrong.”
Yeon Bi’s own smile twisted in kind.
“A common enough type.”
“Indeed.”
Looking down from the window, Yeon So-hyeon spoke in a cool, measured voice.
“Which is why, in this alliance, we will make them feel exactly where they stand.”
Interest sparked in Yeon Bi’s eyes.
“You mean to seize the initiative…!”
Inside a racing carriage.
“Acting Family Head. Shortly we will arrive at the First Young Master’s business headquarters in the Valley of Sin.”
At the subordinate’s report from the driver’s seat, the eyes of the woman called Acting Family Head sharpened.
“Almost there…”
In place of her bedridden father, she moved as Acting Family Head of the Seo Clan. She looked to be only in her early thirties.
“The Swordless One.”
The man seated across from her spoke.
“These days in Luoyang, they say you hear that name every three steps.”
He was her husband, her closest confidant—and the son-in-law who had married into the family.
“Rumors are always exaggerated, of course. But even approached objectively, what he has achieved so far can only be called impressive.”
He stroked his chin and smiled.
“I find myself curious what sort of man he truly is.”
“Set personal curiosity aside.”
The Acting Family Head answered in a firm tone.
“What sort of man he is does not matter much to us.”
She looked out through the window.
“What matters is that this is the moment when the First Young Master needs us most.”
“Quite so.”
Her husband nodded.
“At present the First Young Master is so short-handed he has even had to outsource the act of vengeance on behalf of his younger siblings.”
She kept a husband younger than herself as her closest aide precisely because he displayed insight that belied his twenties.
“Until now he never even answered our requests, much less formed an alliance. The fact that he reached out first is the proof.”
“And yet, in that situation, he is also attempting to clean up the Valley of Sin…”
The Seo Clan’s Acting Family Head narrowed her eyes.
“Does he rush because of his youth?”
“As the Acting Family Head says, what sort of man he is does not matter. Only this.”
The Seo Clan’s son-in-law winked at her.
“The First Young Master is currently in such straits that he has had to win over the ward chiefs who once opposed him and even put government troops to use.”
She took up the thread.
“Which means our Seo Clan can claim a superior position over the other houses in this alliance. That is what matters most.”
His gaze followed hers outside.
“Exactly.”
There rode the cavalry escorting the carriages—the Seo Clan’s ironclad armored cavalry.
“Our Seo Clan is, after all, a house of long military tradition.”
A smile touched the son-in-law’s face.
“Right now we hold the combat strength the First Young Master needs most desperately.”
The Valley of Sin was a natural fortress. After the Dark Heaven Venerable had purged it, the underworld houses that settled there had never managed to put down deep roots. Yet the power they had gained through the explosive growth of the drug trade was formidable.
“I have already issued the call for the family troops. They will reach the Valley of Sin before nightfall.”
Because the First Young Master had so abruptly declared the start of the cleansing, the Seo Clan’s response felt slightly late. But they reasoned it did not matter—he would still have to build an encirclement and wait for sufficient reinforcements before he could move in earnest.
“In the alliance with the First Young Master, the Seo Clan will hold the superior terms.”
Inside another house’s carriage.
“News of the mercenary companies?!”
“Still nothing!”
An old man shouted out the carriage window. A subordinate riding alongside answered in haste.
“Perhaps if we recall the ones we hired for the merchant raids—”
“Those small-time thralls are useless!”
The old man exploded.
“What we need right now is a mercenary company large enough to undertake a war mission on the spot!”
As if such a prepared company could be found easily in Luoyang. On top of that, merchants seeking protection for themselves had made mercenary companies extremely scarce throughout the city.
The subordinate cursed inwardly and answered.
“I will send more men at once!”
“If that fails, hire every ragtag company you can find and at least fill the numbers!”
“Yes, Family Head!”
As the subordinate wheeled his horse and rode off, the old man slammed the window shut again.
“Damn that First Young Master.”
He ground his teeth.
“A sudden campaign to pacify the Valley of Sin…”
His twisted gaze fixed on the Seo Clan carriages racing ahead.
“Isn’t this just handing the Seo Clan everything they want?”
A military house like the Seo Clan would never let this chance slip.
“But, Father…”
His son, riding in the same carriage, watched his father’s mood carefully and spoke with caution.
“Doesn’t this feel too abrupt to be something the First Young Master planned? He may well have made his own preparations…”
“Of course he made preparations!”
The thunderous roar made the son flinch.
“But the important point is this—no matter what he prepared, his current forces are certain to fall short!”
“E-even so, the rumors say his Maid Corps alone is worth a Sword Family sword unit—”
“Foolish boy!”
The son tried to protest, but the old man only bellowed.
“That Maid Corps has been properly organized for less than a year. A pack of green children. Have they ever proven anything?”
He snorted.
“Even the name—maids. Nothing but a collection of servant girls with a talent for internal energy.”
In the old man’s eyes, it was nothing more than a luxury only a Sword Family could indulge.
“Originally, what real fighting strength did the First Young Master’s side even have?”
“The Tang Family troops under the Fourth Young Master are estimated to be the only true elites.”
“And where are they deployed right now?!”
“Ah… most likely…”
The son scrambled through his thoughts and answered.
“All of them are believed to be committed to the current friction between Hyeonwol Pavilion and the Great Immortal Merchant Group.”
“Exactly, you idiot! That is my point!”
The old man’s voice, thick with conviction, filled the carriage.
“At this very moment, the First Young Master has no proper forces!”
He pounded his own chest in frustration.
“There will never be a better moment to seize the upper hand in an alliance with him…!”
He was not the only one who thought so.
Every family head in the procession shared the exact same calculation.
“Call up every last household soldier if you have to!”
“No mercenary companies? If Luoyang is dry, drag them in from Henan!”
“It doesn’t matter! The First Young Master will need time to gather enough troops himself!”
And then—
The moment they stepped down from their carriages, those thoughts began to shatter.
“Welcome.”
In the rough valley wind, his black silk-thread outer robe billowing, First Young Master Yeon So-hyeon of the Luoyang Sword Family spread his arms wide in greeting.
“You have all timed it perfectly.”
His voice carried easily over the wind.
“I was just about to begin the attack.”
“……!”
While the others stood speechless at the idea of attacking now, the young Acting Family Head of the Seo Clan stepped forward.
“First Young Master! A hasty judgment is dangerous! If you wait only a little longer, our Seo Clan forces will arrive before sundown—”
“Unnecessary.”
Yeon So-hyeon’s voice was absolute, without beginning or end.
Another family head tried.
“First Young Master. The government troops and your current strength will not be enough—”
“No.”
Yeon So-hyeon cut him off again.
“This First Young Master already possesses all the strength he requires.”
“What do you mean by—”
Someone among the family heads started to speak, only to be drowned out by a voice that rang like a bronze bell.
“Maid Corps—all units combat-ready!”
A clear, piercing voice followed at once.
“Advance at tactical speed—rapid movement!”
A deep rumble. Wheels began to turn, and the very ground trembled.
It was the arrival of the armored carriage column.
Reinforced with additional plating and mustered in numbers enough to carry the entire Maid Corps, the armored carriages looked less like wagons and more like proper war chariots—imposing and magnificent.
“The Maid Corps will pierce the enemy lines in a single stroke and split them in two!”
The owner of the ringing voice was an old woman riding in a carriage at the center of the formation.
“Trust the armor! Trust the mobility!”
Gwak Nopin—the woman known as the Sleeping Dragon of the South—exchanged a silent nod of greeting with Yeon So-hyeon when their eyes met across the distance.
“Maid Corps—advance!”
The new allies, still gaping at the armored carriages, jumped at Yeon So-hyeon’s next shout, thick with inner force.
“Loyalty!”
Who had dared call them a pack of green children without even a proper battle record, let alone a sword unit?
“……”
The Seo Clan’s Acting Family Head made a low sound of dismay.
This is a world of difference from what we expected…!
The murderous intent and refined killing edge in the Maid Corps’ voices rivaled any sword unit of the Sword Family. The name “maids” felt almost insulting.
“They are more formidable than expected, but still…”
The son-in-law standing beside the Acting Family Head spoke carefully. He addressed only his wife, not the others present—yet everyone there could hear him.
“Even with armored carriages, the upper reaches of the Valley of Sin are a fortress.”
Several among them with military experience nodded involuntarily in agreement.
“Unless the defensive strongpoints are brought down first—”
As if answering his words,
“Combat Engineer Corps! Drop the camouflage screens!”
A powerful voice roared from the far side.
“Those are—?!”
Across the lower valley, enormous camouflage screens were hauled away. People had assumed they merely covered the ugly scars left by the recent fire.
“Give them a taste of hell!”
The savage war machines that now stood revealed drove the new allies into fresh shock.
“C-catapults?!”
Not in the heart of the vast metropolis of Luoyang, but on a battlefield—engines of war one would never expect to see here.
“First volley—load!”
The Seo Clan’s son-in-law muttered, still half-dazed.
“To build and operate catapults… where on earth did the First Young Master find such people…”
Yeon So-hyeon offered no answer.
“First shot finds the range!”
The officer commanding the engines raised his voice.
“Anyone who can’t keep up gets sent straight to the kitchen detail!”
The shout rolled through the valley, and laughter spilled from every corner of the formation.
“Number One Battery ready!”
“Number Two Battery ready!”
“Number Three Battery…!”
Flags snapped and fluttered wildly above each battery.
“Fire!”
Massive stones arced through the air.
Yeon So-hyeon watched the great boulders pass overhead and smiled.
“Watch carefully.”
At a moment no one outside his own ranks had anticipated, by a method no one had expected, the battle began.
“And know your place in this alliance.”
With an arrogant smile, Yeon So-hyeon looked upon his new allies.