SHRAAAAK!

Yeon Hojeong’s movement arts as he ran along the official road truly resembled a single bird.

His movements were light to the extreme, and even though he held a spear in one hand, he looked as free as if he were carrying nothing at all.

Impressive.

Water Dragon, running behind him, clicked his tongue inwardly at Yeon Hojeong’s movement arts.

I heard he isn’t even thirty yet... and his martial arts are really that outstanding?

Just by looking at the movement of a person’s feet while using lightness arts, it was not hard to infer that person’s realm.

He had heard the stories, but it really did seem that at such a young age, Yeon Hojeong had already broken through the wall of martial arts.

So this is what they call a genius.

For no reason, Water Dragon’s mouth turned bitter.

They say the world is full of monsters.

Martial arts if it came to martial arts, strategy if it came to strategy.

He truly was accomplished in both letters and arms. If he was already at that level just after passing into young manhood, then ten years from now he really might reach a realm where he could speak of the world itself.

How uninteresting.

On top of that, inside the Manor, his rank was even higher than that of the Twelve Zodiac Gods.

Every one of the Twelve Zodiac Gods openly called himself one of Yangcheon’s closest men, and that alone had always been enough for them. Even so, there was no helping the bitter taste in his mouth.

At that moment, Yeon Hojeong spoke.

“We’ll stay at Heavenly Star Tower three hundred jang ahead. You all worked hard running this far. We leave early tomorrow morning, so unless there’s a very good reason, refrain from drinking.”

From behind him, Fire Ape sneered for no reason.

“So we can’t even drink? I can’t sleep if I don’t drink.”

Yeon Hojeong’s answer was magnificent.

“Once this mission is over, you should go see a physician. Your liver’s probably rotted away by now.”

Fire Ape’s face reddened.

“You...!”

At that moment, Phantom Snake stepped in.

“Fire Ape.”

“...”

“He is the Director of the Intelligence Division. Show some respect.”

Fire Ape snorted.

“Since when does the great Phantom Snake act this meek? Why? Did that man buy you some good liquor or something?”

“Fire Ape!”

“Shut up! Don’t stick your nose into what I say!”

Mad Dog, who had remained silent until now, opened his mouth.

“You can bark whatever you want, but if you’re going to whine because you don’t like the result, you’d better shut your mouth right now.”

Fire Ape’s face twisted fiercely.

They said dogs and monkeys did not get along. In truth, the two of them loathed each other.

“Want to die?”

“Are you good enough to kill me?”

“You son of a bitch!”

THOOM.

The shockwave of powerful Inner Qi shook the entire official road.

Yeon Hojeong spoke calmly.

“This is not an outing.”

“...”

“If you cause another pointless disturbance, then regardless of the reason, I’ll execute you on the spot.”

He turned his head.

His eyes, cold to the extreme, settled on Fire Ape.

“You, in particular, would do well to be careful. I’ll tell you in advance: this mission won’t suffer in the least if one person is missing, and that person is you.”

Fire Ape’s face turned bright red.

It felt as though her eyes would roll back from rage, but she did not dare open her mouth. She knew that if it was this madman, he really might kill her.

After settling the situation in an instant, Yeon Hojeong started running at the front again.

Mad Dog glanced at Phantom Snake.

He’s a pretty vicious man, isn’t he?

Phantom Snake only gave the slightest nod, and no answer came back.

Shrugging, Mad Dog quietly followed behind.

That was how the group arrived at Heavenly Star Tower.

BANG!

Escorted by a server, Fire Ape went straight into her room.

Mad Dog clicked his tongue.

“If that bitch keeps living like that, she won’t die of old age.”

Blue Tiger spoke.

“A message from the Director of the Intelligence Division. Rest in your own rooms tonight. Tomorrow, gather at the tavern entrance by the middle of Tiger Hour.”

“Fine.”

“From now on, think of the mission as already begun. Don’t make pointless trouble and keep quiet.”

There was no formal ranking within the Twelve Zodiac Gods, but when the same mission came down to them, it was usually the four of Rat, Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit who took the lead in the situation.

That was why even the proud and strong-willed Twelve Zodiac Gods silently listened to Blue Tiger.

Phantom Snake said,

“I’ll speak to Fire Ape separately. She seems the most unstable.”

“Do that.”

“By the way, where is the Director of the Intelligence Division?”

“He went up to the top floor. It looked like he planned to stay up all night.”

“Understood. Then let’s start dispersing.”

And so the five members of the Twelve Zodiac Gods entered their own rooms.

Yeon Hojeong, who alone had gone up to the top floor, ordered a simple meal and a cup of tea.

Hmm.

As he ate at his leisure, Yeon Hojeong suddenly sensed a presence approaching in secret.

So he came.

A moment later, voice transmission reached his ear.

[From the Beggars’ Union.]

[Tomorrow, at the start of Rooster Hour, I will meet Clan Head Mo Yonggun. Relay that to the Hu Gae exactly as it is.]

[Understood. And Hu Gae had a message for you.]

[Speak.]

[He asked whether reinforcements would be needed.]

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.

Reinforcements.

If everything went according to plan, there would ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) be no need for reinforcements.

But nothing in this world could be known with certainty even one inch ahead. To begin with, he had not known Yangcheon would collapse like this, and before that, neither had he known Black Sheep would approach him.

There was nothing wrong with being thoroughly prepared.

[Permission granted to request reinforcements. The unit requested will be the Evil-Smiting Corps.]

[Understood.]

With that, the Beggars’ Union operative’s presence disappeared.

It seemed the Beggars’ Union was also being quite cautious. Yeon Hojeong himself had only noticed the approach because he had sharpened his senses to an extreme. Otherwise, he would have missed it.

People capable of this level of stealth technique were truly rare.

Reinforcements.

A faint look came over Yeon Hojeong’s face.

I wonder if those bastards have been doing well.

The Evil-Smiting Corps.

They had not been together that long, but in that time they had crossed countless life-and-death lines together.

Before even that, he had gone through a great deal of hardship refining the Evil-Smiting Corps into elites. If he had approached it recklessly, in the Dark Path way, resistance would have been inevitable, so he had taught them one by one with patience and painstaking care.

And then came real combat.

After going through countless real battles, the Evil-Smiting Corps, astonishingly enough, had not lost even a single person so far. There had been many times when they nearly died, but thankfully, all of them had endured.

I wonder if they’ve been training hard in the meantime.

In truth, not that much time had passed since he had departed from the Alliance of the Martial World.

But perhaps because life here had been so eventful, that little more than two months felt almost like two years.

Mookbi must have trained them well.

Outwardly, she looked lacking in social ease, but when necessary, she showed more resolve than anyone. That was Mookbi.

It had been that way before he returned to the past, and it was the same after he returned.

And on top of that, the current Mookbi possessed one great weapon she had never cultivated even back when she was called the Divine Archer.

Public support.

She must’ve been terribly busy, but Father probably helped Mookbi whenever he found time too. By now, she must have become a completely different master.

His heart pounded.

How much had Mookbi, Okcheong, Paeng Manho, and even all the soldiers of the Evil-Smiting Corps improved by now?

If none of you improved much, it’s hell training the moment I get back, you bastards.

It was right then, as Yeon Hojeong was smiling in spite of himself, that—

“Hmph!”

Yeon Hojeong turned his head.

Fire Ape was walking toward him from not far away.

“So the cold-blooded man of the world can make a face like that too?”

Yeon Hojeong snorted.

“I’m a man of flesh and blood too.”

Fire Ape frowned. She really did not like that easy composure of his.

Yeon Hojeong took a sip of tea.

“So what brings you all the way here?”

“To have a drink.”

Yeon Hojeong picked up a piece of meat and said flatly,

“Do you want to die that badly?”

Fire Ape grumbled.

“That’s why I came to get permission.”

“...”

“I’m not lying. I can’t sleep if I don’t drink.”

“At your level, do you really need sleep that badly? It’s not as if you’re at a realm where pulling one all-nighter would keep you from fighting properly.”

“Are you serious?”

“...” 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“I’ll say this clearly. I hate you. Just the fact that someone like you outranks me, a member of the Twelve Zodiac Gods, is enough to make me sick.”

“I could tell that just by looking at your face.”

“But a mission is still a mission. I need to get my body into top condition, don’t I? Who knows what might happen there?”

Yeon Hojeong gave a small laugh.

“That argument makes sense in its own way.”

Fire Ape pulled her hands from behind her back. A liquor bottle was already in one hand.

“I can sit across from you, right?”

“Do as you like.”

Fire Ape sat down at once, pulled the stopper, and drank.

She really could drink. Apparently it had not been a lie—after swallowing several gulps in one go, ease was already overflowing across her face.

Yeon Hojeong did not even look at her and focused on his meal. He had skipped lunch, so he was extremely hungry.

“Hm.”

Folding her arms, Fire Ape stared at Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong asked calmly,

“What are you staring at?”

“You fascinate me.”

“What about me?”

“How in the world did someone your age become that kind of monster?”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Fire Ape.

Her face was flushed. She had deliberately dispersed her internal force so the Alcohol Qi would not scatter.

“For someone at my level to be called a monster, there are too many geniuses in the world.”

“That’s a truly obnoxious thing to say.”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“If you’ve had enough, go back.”

“I’m leaving after I finish this.”

“So it wasn’t just a few cups.”

“I use a bowl as a cup. I don’t lie.”

Fire Ape’s eyes turned sly.

“Unlike you.”

The corner of Yeon Hojeong’s mouth lifted.

“You still suspect me?”

“I don’t have physical proof. But I’ve got a twisted personality. Once I suspect someone, I keep suspecting them to the very end until the plain and undeniable truth comes out.”

“That sounds exhausting.”

“I hear that a lot. Especially from Mad Dog, that dog bastard. He says it all the time.”

Without answering, Yeon Hojeong moved his chopsticks again.

Fire Ape watched him in silence, then smiled.

“Have a drink.”

“...?”

“You’re eating all that greasy food, and you don’t want any liquor?”

“Who knows.”

“If you’re worried about losing face in front of the others, don’t be. I may look like this, but my mouth is pretty tight.”

Yeon Hojeong looked at Fire Ape with unreadable eyes, then soon gave a small laugh.

“I’ll trust that.”

Yeon Hojeong took the bottle out of Fire Ape’s hand and drank straight from it.

Fire Ape frowned.

“Whew, strong.”

“There was still half left. What are you doing drinking all of it?”

“The liquor’s gone, so go back and sleep. That’s enough.”

“Tch.”

Fire Ape grumbled as she rose.

“We’re free from tomorrow on, right? Once the mission ends.”

“Yes. Once the mission is complete, scatter however you want. The task I’m responsible for ends there.”

“Good. Don’t say something different later.”

“Go.”

“Hmph!”

She turned and started toward the stairs, but then suddenly stopped as if something had occurred to her.

“You know that, don’t you, Director of the Intelligence Division?”

“...”

“Unlike the other Twelve Zodiac Gods, I’m a true Dark Path person.”

“So?”

“That means I’ve got a generous side in my own way. Unlike those idiots who forget favors and only ever repay grudges, I know how to repay favors too.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Fire Ape smiled brightly.

“I’ll repay you later for letting me drink.”

“That won’t happen.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Go.”

Fire Ape smiled and turned her head.

The face hidden on her turned back was twisted like that of a vicious demon.

Bastard. Your life is over now.

With that, Fire Ape went down the stairs.

Yeon Hojeong rested his chin on his hand.

“...That damned bitch is working awfully hard to get herself killed.”

FSSSS.

Black smoke rose over the back of his hand.

It was Poisonous Qi.