TIIIIING! THUNK!

The arrow that sliced through the air punched straight through the iron plate in an instant.

Joy bloomed across Mookbi’s face.

Got it.

No matter how exceptional the draw of the Red Lotus Bow was, if she didn’t properly load Inner Qi onto the shot, she couldn’t pierce an iron plate.

But this time was different. She had only put an extremely small amount of Inner Qi into the arrow.

An arrow that would have bounced off in the past went through the iron plate. Instead of increasing the amount of Inner Qi, she had changed the way she operated it.

Martial arts really are endless...

Just changing the way she thought made the arrow’s power different.

This was the variety of martial expression she hadn’t been able to learn at Gwanilgok. Countless battles, relentless effort, and deep anguish—those things had fused into an archery of her own, and now it was finally blooming.

“You’re impressive.”

“Ah! Father, you’re here.”

“Mm.”

Yeon Wi looked at the iron plate with a hole in it and smiled in satisfaction.

“Half the internal force you used before. You pierced the iron plate with only that much. It means your focus and your Inner Qi control have advanced by a step.”

Honest happiness surfaced on Mookbi’s face. She already knew, but having Yeon Wi confirm it directly put her at ease.

“It’s thanks to you, Father. If you hadn’t advised me at the right time, I wouldn’t have thought of it.”

“Anyone can give advice. The question is how you accept it.”

Yeon Wi patted her shoulder.

“Your greatest strength isn’t your inborn talent. It’s your posture—your ability to seriously think about anything you hear. In the realm of martial arts, there’s no greater talent than not being stubborn.”

Mookbi’s face reddened.

Yeon Wi was clear with praise and criticism. But more often, the weight landed on criticism. What you did well ended there; what you did wrong could lead to death in real combat.

In other words, praise like this meant Mookbi’s posture had impressed him that much. Mookbi understood that, so she was especially happy.

Yeon Wi asked calmly.

“Do you know?”

“Yes?”

“Just before a quarter-hour ago, Hojeong left the Alliance.”

Unexpectedly, Mookbi’s expression stayed calm.

“Yes. He talked to me and left earlier.”

Yeon Wi watched Mookbi for a moment, then spoke again.

“You aren’t disappointed?”

Mookbi smiled wryly.

“At first, I was. I thought I could be helpful, even if I wasn’t the best. So I wondered how untrustworthy I must seem, for him not to take me.”

She said this naturally in front of Yeon Wi. It meant she was becoming more comfortable around him.

“You mean you think differently now?”

“Yes.”

Mookbi looked up at the sky.

The weather had turned sharp. The clouds were moderate.

“When I think about it, that man has never looked down on me even once, not since the day we first met. He teased me a lot, but even that had a clear line.”

“I see.”

“Even if he looks like he treats people roughly on the outside, once he decides someone is his person, he never tries to hurt their feelings.”

Yeon Wi smiled.

Mookbi was kind, but she rarely revealed what was inside her. For her to say this meant she trusted his son completely.

“I’m glad the first person I met after coming out into the world was Young Master Yeon.”

“I see.”

Mookbi slung the Red Lotus Bow onto her back.

“The ones leaving have left. The ones staying have to start the work that belongs to the ones staying.”

Yeon Wi nodded.

“You’re right. With Hojeong gone, the fight on this side will become quite fierce as well.”

Whether it was political struggle or training the Evil-Smiting Corps, life would become harsher in every way.

That was how large—and how deep—Yeon Hojeong’s shadow had become. Before anyone noticed, his presence had carved itself into Mookbi, into Yeon Wi, into the strategist Je Gal Munho, and even into the Alliance’s upper leadership.

“Are you going to train the Evil-Smiting Corps?”

“Yes. And I have to deliver the light armor set as well.”

“Alright.”

Yeon Wi was about to leave Army-Breaking Pavilion first, but as if something occurred to him, he asked—

“Are you free this evening?”

“Huh? Ah—yes! I’m free.”

“Around the Hour of the Dog, my work should be done as well. If the timing works out, let’s eat together.”

Mookbi smiled brightly.

“Yes!”

*****

The group that left the Alliance of the Martial World headed straight through Hubei and set their direction toward Guizhou Province.

The place Yangcheon was assumed to be was Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan.

If they took the shortest route, they could come down through Hubei, cross the river, and enter Hunan directly without any issue. But from the moment he departed the Alliance, Yeon Hojeong insisted on moving in secrecy.

When Tang Sang-a asked why, Yeon Hojeong answered like this.

“They’re watching the Alliance of the Martial World closely. They might even be investigating everyone going in and out. If that’s the case, they’ll pay even more attention to people heading for the main base.”

It was simple, and it made sense. It would be a longer route, but clearly necessary.

Yeon Hojeong trusted his own judgment, and Ga Deoksang and Je Gal Ahyeon decided his words were worth trusting.

“And Senior.”

“Speak.”

Pae Yul raised his eyebrows.

“You want me to enter western Hunan first.”

“Alone?”

“To reduce suspicion. If you go ahead and settle in, we’ll take a detour and follow with a gap.”

“Does that actually mean anything?”

“Of course it does.”

“Hmph. Fine. I don’t know why you’re going that far, but whatever.”

With Pae Yul separated out, the rest of the group took a full month to pass through the southwest of Hubei and enter Guizhou Province.

If they had truly committed to movement arts, they could have arrived several days faster. They’d lost time because they moved cautiously.

In the end, they entered a modest inn at the northernmost edge of Guizhou Province.

“Whew. Now I can breathe.”

Ga Deoksang scratched his head hard.

“You’ve all worked hard. This is an inn run by our own, so you can rest without worry.”

To shake off the fatigue they’d built up, they started with a hot bath. The surprising part was that Ga Deoksang went to wash first.

Je Gal Ahyeon asked mischievously.

“At this rate, aren’t you going to get kicked out of your Hu Gae position for real?”

“Hmph. That’s what I’m hoping for.”

To infiltrate enemy territory directly, he couldn’t get exposed as Beggars’ Union. In the end, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Ga Deoksang had no choice but to break union rules.

After scrubbing off every last layer of grime, and coming out in a perfectly fitted martial robe with a white outer robe over it, Ga Deoksang’s appearance was genuinely shocking.

Je Gal Ahyeon’s mouth hung open like a carp.

“Waaah! Are you really Hu Gae?”

“Then who would I be.”

“My god—why were you hiding a face like this under dirt? Wash normally, too!”

“Why would a beggar waste water washing?”

Ga Deoksang grumbled, but honestly, it was a reasonable reaction.

He was fairly tall, solidly built, and his features were so distinct it made you want to stare. He also looked unusually young, so dressed like this, he could pass for a noble young master without any problem.

Tang Sang-a asked Yeon Hojeong quietly.

“Is Hu Gae going into enemy territory too?”

“He has to. We need fast communication between both sides. And even aside from that, it’s hard to find someone as good at improvising as that man.”

“I see.”

“Why? Does something bother you?”

“Something decisive bothers me.”

Yeon Hojeong blinked.

“What is it?”

“The gap between his looks and his way of speaking.”

It was a sharp point.

His appearance was practically a noble young master, but his speech was so crude even street thugs would click their tongues. It was a far more serious problem than it sounded.

Ga Deoksang looked at Yeon Hojeong with mournful eyes.

“Don’t tell me I have to change the way I talk too? That’s not it, right? Say it’s not.”

Yeon Hojeong answered in an uncomfortable voice.

“There are a lot of people with strong personalities in this world. If anything, that side of you might make you look simple and harmless.”

“Heh heh. I knew Young Master Yeon would understand me!”

“...Still, if possible, I recommend you stay quiet as much as you can.”

With everyone cleaned up, they finished eating and gathered in one room.

Ga Deoksang smacked his lips.

“Guizhou really is humid. Even though winter’s coming.”

Je Gal Ahyeon picked up his line.

“I heard even master-level fighters can get hit with local diseases if they slip up. The humidity’s high, the vegetation is thick, and there are a lot of insects.”

“Insects are just provisions when you’re hungry.”

“Ugh.”

“What’s with that reaction? You want to starve to death? You have to chew bugs and endure. Right, Miss Tang?”

Tang Sang-a spoke with an awkward face.

“I’ve never eaten them even once...”

“Huh?”

Ga Deoksang tilted his head.

“But Miss Tang, you learned poison arts. Didn’t you ever eat them while training? There are so many poisonous bugs in the world.”

“Learning poison arts doesn’t mean you eat bugs. I mean, I don’t really have an aversion to them, but...”

“Haha. Is that so?”

Tang Sang-a gave a dry cough. She wasn’t shy by nature, but even she couldn’t help feeling burdened by Ga Deoksang’s overwhelming friendliness.

“Alright. Let’s organize things.”

Yeon Hojeong clapped once to gather attention, then continued.

“You’ve heard it in advance, but from now on we belong to the Martial Ancestor Sect.”

The Martial Ancestor Sect was a mysterious sect said to have been annihilated over a hundred years ago.

Surprisingly, their martial arts were judged to be not far behind even the Nine Great Sects. That was because among the fighters who claimed Martial Ancestor Sect origins back then, there hadn’t been a single weak one.

At the same time, it was also said their martial arts weren’t consistent.

Every sect had its own flow—Shaolin had Shaolin’s, Mount Hua had Mount Hua’s. But the Martial Ancestor Sect had nothing like that. As if masters from many sects had gathered and founded one sect together, their martial arts displayed a wide and varied depth.

But after they walked the road of annihilation for some reason a hundred years ago, the name Martial Ancestor Sect was no longer heard.

“It’s been forgotten even in people’s memories, and since the arts are so varied, they won’t suspect us even if each of us uses different martial arts.”

The three men and women nodded.

Yeon Hojeong pointed at Ga Deoksang.

“Still, be careful with forms of address. From now on, Hu Gae is the eldest senior brother of this group.”

“Do I really have to be the one?”

“You’re the oldest.”

“Then what about Senior Pae Yul?”

“Senior is our martial uncle.”

“Hey, I look young. How about making me the youngest?”

“Let’s move on.”

“Tch.”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Tang Sang-a.

“Soldier Tang Sang-a is second. Same reason.”

“Yes.”

“And I’m third. Fourth is Ahyeon.”

Je Gal Ahyeon flared up.

“Hey—why am I the youngest? I’m a year older than you! I let you call me friend, and now you don’t even recognize your older sister?”

“I’m the one who has to move the most among us. And anyone with quick eyes will figure out my martial arts are the deepest among the three. Up to third might work, but if I introduce myself as the youngest, it’ll feel off.”

“Grrr...”

It wasn’t wrong. Still, she couldn’t help being dissatisfied, and her lips puffed out enough to hang three feet.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes shone with a serious light.

“From what we can infer with the information so far, there’s a high probability Yangcheon is in Changsha, Hunan. But considering the scale of the Dark Path he’s seized until now, we have to assume his eyes are spread across all of Hunan.”

Ga Deoksang nodded.

“Our disciples’ reports are similar. The moment we enter Hunan, eyes will follow us.” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“So we won’t take mountain paths or waterways.”

“To avoid suspicion, we have to take the official roads?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Hojeong spoke to Tang Sang-a.

“In other words, the moment we enter Hunan, we’ll need your ability.”

“Huh? My ability?”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard what her role would be in this mission.

Tang Sang-a panicked. It was ridiculous that she hadn’t even thought of something that obvious until now.

“What do I do?”

Yeon Hojeong smiled coldly.

A smile that was nothing but ominous. Ga Deoksang clicked his tongue like, Here we go again, and Je Gal Ahyeon shuddered in disgust.

“If the Dark Path’s eyes gather on us, shoot them dead with hidden weapons immediately.”