The Reason
Lee Eul glanced back at her lord, the Cheonsu-maje.
The plan had failed, but she was happy.
He came back to save me.
The fact that the Cheonsu-maje had saved her was enough. That alone was all she needed.
“Hmm.”
The Cheonsu-maje wasn’t the type to dwell deeply on problems. He was a man of action first and thought second. Though he appeared more cautious than anyone, the truth was that he usually solved things with raw power.
This time was no different.
“Why couldn’t you capture Yakseon?”
At Lee Eul’s question, the Cheonsu-maje’s face crumpled into a scowl.
“Those damn Ju family bastards. Their security was no ordinary thing.”
Kidnapping Yakseon naturally required entering the Ju family estate and then locating him. But they couldn’t even get inside.
“The Sword Venerable must have caught some kind of scent. He was staying right next to Yakseon in plain sight.”
The Sword Venerable had only learned of Yakseon’s existence after Ju Woo-jin told him. At first, he hadn’t even realized who the man was.
Unfortunately, the day the Cheonsu-maje chose to strike was the same day the Sword Venerable had met Yakseon.
“We’ll have to look to the next opportunity.”
“Unfortunately there won’t be a next time. We’ve been caught by that youngest Ju brat. Do you really think he’ll just leave us alone?”
“Then what will you do?”
Lee Eul asked carefully.
Traces of her clash with Woo-jin still marked her body, yet her expression had grown far more resolute than before.
The Cheonsu-maje stayed silent for a moment, then slowly lifted his head. His eyes were already calculating the next move.
“It doesn’t have to be Yakseon.”
“...Pardon?”
“We’re changing targets. Yakseon is tucked away in the Ju family’s bosom, so we can’t touch him right now.”
He twisted the corner of his mouth into a smirk.
“Instead, I saw a woman who piqued my interest.”
“You don’t mean...”
“Yes. You saw her too, didn’t you? At the very end...”
The Cheonsu-maje’s gaze drifted into the darkness.
At that moment, soft yet sharp footsteps approached from beyond the door.
Click!
The Cheonsu-maje tensed and reached for the sword he had set beside him.
The door opened, revealing a man wearing red silk robes. His eyes were narrow, his smile gentle, yet the air itself twisted with every step he took.
“Oh? It seems you were already in the middle of an interesting conversation.”
Lee Eul instinctively straightened her spine.
This man was no ordinary guest.
He was one of the Four Calamities—Hyeol-hon-sal. His madness was so overwhelming that even his fellow calamities could not restrain it.
The Cheonsu-maje looked at him and smiled coldly.
“Why are you here? This isn’t a place for you.”
“I don’t care about that. What matters is that I’ve also taken a liking to that youngest Ju.”
Originally, Hyeol-hon-sal held a higher position than the Cheonsu-maje. But neither of them cared about such things.
Hyeol-hon-sal walked over and dropped heavily into a chair. His eyes slid across Lee Eul.
“It was entertaining. When that kid fought your master, it didn’t look like he was using even half his strength.”
The Cheonsu-maje’s expression hardened.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means you should check for yourself.”
Hyeol-hon-sal whispered with a blood-red smile.
“Yakseon is no longer needed. The new target is that youngest member of the Ju family. Just him.”
Lee Eul’s eyes widened.
Those words signaled far more than a simple kidnapping or assassination. They foretold a war that would shake the very center of their world.
The Cheonsu-maje stared at Hyeol-hon-sal for a long time before letting out a low laugh.
“It’s been a while since you said something I actually liked, Hyeol-hon-sal.”
“You like it? Heh heh heh. But you’d better succeed this time. Fail, and I’ll kill you myself.”
Hyeol-hon-sal laughed too, quietly placing his hand on the table.
In an instant, the wooden surface crumbled into powder and scattered like dust.
“Don’t worry. Next time I will definitely kill that brat. And after that...”
Killing intent surged from every pore of the Cheonsu-maje’s body.
His murderous gaze was fixed on Hyeol-hon-sal.
“I’ll take your head as well.”
“I look forward to it. Oh yes, I certainly do. Kahaha!”
Hyeol-hon-sal threw his head back in roaring laughter and vanished on the spot.
It was a truly ghostly movement technique.
Once Hyeol-hon-sal had disappeared, the Cheonsu-maje spoke quietly to Lee Eul.
“Lee Eul, begin gathering information on that woman. We’ll target her side.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Lee Eul answered briefly. A chilling light gleamed in both their eyes.
If not for Mong Yeo-rin’s barrier, would I even be breathing right now?
Lying in Insujeon, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
What in the world was that barrier?
It had been an overwhelming power.
Mong Yeo-rin had come looking for me at exactly the right moment and saved my life. Without her, I would truly have died.
I let out a small sigh and rose from the bed.
My body felt stiff, but my condition was clearly better than before. Yakseon, unable to stand by any longer, had spoken with my father and even prepared spiritual medicine for me.
It was nothing more than a few roots of He Shou Wu that hadn’t even reached a full century in age, but the effect was undeniable. My internal injuries were healing at a surprisingly rapid pace.
I should rest for the time being.
Because of those Blood Cult bastards, I had ended up injured without reaping any reward from my closed-door training. Now was the time to recuperate and focus on recovery.
The Cheonsu-maje has begun to move.
That man was dangerous. His hot-blooded nature could become a weakness, but it also meant he could create unexpected variables. He was the type who produced changes from places no one could anticipate.
If they come at us first, that would be ideal.
The real question was whether I could handle those variables.
For now, I gather information. I need to detect any unusual signs.
The Black King Gang.
It looked like I would have to put some serious pressure on them.
After organizing my plans for the future, I headed to Mong Yeo-rin’s residence. It wasn’t far from where I was staying, and its location was cleverly chosen so that guards could see it from every direction.
Knock knock.
I rapped on her door.
“Yes, come in.”
Hearing her voice, I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Oh? Young Master.”
Mong Yeo-rin approached with a bright, welcoming smile. After releasing that explosive power, the fact that she could still be so energetic struck me as incredible.
“Is your body alright?”
At my question, Mong Yeo-rin tilted her head as if puzzled.
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”
Her gentle smile was... infuriatingly beautiful.
“Ahem. Anyway, thank you. I came to express my gratitude.”
“What for? Anyone who had been there would have done the same.”
“No. It was only possible because it was you, Miss. And...”
I stepped closer with a serious expression. She tensed slightly and focused on my words.
“From now on, never step forward like that again.”
“...”
My tone must have been colder than expected. Mong Yeo-rin’s face stiffened.
“It’s dangerous. You must never intervene.”
If she died, the Ju family would be in a difficult position. I had brought her here to protect her—if she suddenly perished, how could I possibly face Mong Yu-baek’s fury?
“Yes.”
Her voice was slightly deflated, and her gaze had turned cold. Still, I had received her answer. That was enough.
“Rest well.”
Having said what I needed to say, I quickly left.
The next day.
After consuming more of the spiritual roots and resting deeply, my body felt considerably lighter. My internal injuries hadn’t fully healed, but I was definitely better than yesterday.
Even though I felt improved, I had no intention of pushing myself. At the same time, I couldn’t simply stop working. I headed straight for the Black King Gang.
Yeo Mong looked incredibly busy, with no time to even catch her breath. Because of that, I wasn’t able to meet her even after arriving.
There were far more people than before, and Geungnakru was undergoing expansion, transforming into an even more splendid and elegant establishment. They were expanding their business in earnest.
“You’ve arrived?”
Yeo Mong came running from a distance. It seemed she had set her work aside the moment she heard I was here.
“How many intelligence agents do we have in the Jiangxi region right now?”
“There’s no way to count them. Everyone is an intelligence agent.”
“Everyone?”
“Yes. The red and blue flags in the pleasure houses, the waiters and innkeepers, the owners of ordinary street stalls, the boatmen on the lakes—everyone buys, sells, listens to, and watches for information.”
Information came in two forms: what passed from mouth to mouth, and what was recorded in writing. As long as people existed, rumors would circulate. That was information.
“So how far have we reached?”
“Roughly seventy to eighty percent of Jiangxi has our eyes and ears.”
It was impressive. I had never imagined they could build such a dense network in such a short time. I had expected at least a year at the fastest pace.
At this rate, it was time to move to the next stage.
“We can’t limit ourselves to Jiangxi alone.”
“Pardon?”
“From now on, we expand across the entire Central Plains.”
Yeo Mong’s face turned deathly pale.
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not impossible. Create branches in each province. Station subordinates who can collect, analyze, and report information, and structure it so they only filter the intelligence of their respective regions.”
“But if we do that...”
“Yes, there will be conflict.”
I smiled coldly.
“That’s why I’m thinking of lending a hand.”
My plan was only beginning.
“How exactly do you intend to help?”
“How else? We’ll do it the Black Dao way.”
Subdue them with force. Only by completely dominating the back alleys could we claim these pleasure houses and inns. The true power of the Black Dao came from these lowest levels.
“Gather only the leaders of the black dao factions near Jiangxi Province.”
“Pardon?”
“Send night visitors to those who refuse to listen. Buy those who understand with money. It’s simple.”
If money didn’t work, kill them and eliminate any future trouble. It was the brutal, desperate law of the Black Dao.
Yeo Mong’s mouth fell open. Those words should never have come from the direct descendant of an orthodox White Dao family. Yet though it seemed reckless, somehow it felt like if it was me, it might actually be possible.
I am now a member of the Black King Gang.
I would become their blade and completely seize control of the back-alley world.
And this would be incredibly helpful in reawakening my practical combat sense.
After closed-door training, I needed real battles to fully digest the insights I had gained. Although I had encountered the Blood Cult and the Cheonsu-maje, those could hardly be called proper fights. I needed to refine my basic techniques before using profound arts against such monsters.
I shed the Ju family’s martial uniform and changed into plain black robes—the kind you could see anywhere. Muyoung did the same.
At first he had been full of dissatisfaction, but after hearing my plan, his attitude changed completely.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“...”
He now looked more excited than anyone, practically rushing ahead.
“Let’s go.”
I chuckled and slowly loosened my muscles.
The remaining thirty percent of Jiangxi.
From there, we would expand our domain.
I—no, the Black King Gang—would become warriors of the Black Dao and devour everything within reach.
Even if that included one of the pillars of the White Dao, I had not the slightest intention of showing mercy.