I watched the farming militia go about their work.

First of all, they were better at cleaning than me.

They had set aside the farming tools they had carried like weapons, and instead used various tools salvaged from abandoned homes to repair the shattered shops and houses.

Some hammered planks onto collapsed walls, others carried corpses to an open lot to burn.

Watching them, I thought—this farming faction felt quite similar to the Architectural Sect led by Yeon Ja-seong.

It wasn’t strange that some scholar factions resembled Haomun.

In any case, the farmers were far more competent at this than I was. After all, they were workers by trade, and I was just a martial artist who mostly fought and made a mess.

I soon figured out why they brought those sacks of rice.

The men from the farming group went house to house and began filling the empty rice jars.

After a while, I ate the meal Deungnyang had prepared and even drank some of the inn’s leftover liquor.

A few drinks later, I looked out at the street again...

The farming force had spread out and continued the restoration work as if they were the original residents of the area.

There was nothing left for me to do here.

A Gate Lord’s job is to rush to the place where incidents break out and fight.

The actual work is done by the disciples.

There’s no need to debate which task is harder.

Both they and I are putting our lives on the line for everything.

It was only after a long while that I suddenly remembered—these weren’t Haomun disciples. They were farmers.

'Damn. I thought they were from the Architectural Sect.'

After noon passed, the farming militia cooked rice with the grain they had brought, took a short rest, then got up and resumed working.

They looked like people who had no choice but to work until sunset. Just like that, the farming faction under the scholar group had latched onto this place, preparing it so that the original residents could return at any moment and resume their lives without issue.

Now that I thought about it, Muga and the farming faction seemed like old friends.

Muga assisted in defending against conquests, and once the inevitable war passed, the farming group would come in to repair and rebuild.

Seeing it with my own eyes...

I added the farming faction to my mental alliance list, right after Muga.

If Haomun’s Architectural Sect, Muga, and the farming militia all formed an alliance, post-battle restoration would be quick.

As I drank, I thought to myself:

'I should summon Yeon Ja-seong first.'

It felt like my presence here would only delay the return of people trying to resume ordinary lives. I decided to rest until late afternoon, restore my energy, and circulate my qi.

Then I spoke to the Four Villains.

“...Let’s leave.”

The Lecher asked,

“Where to?”

Rather than explaining repeatedly, I called over Cha Seong-tae, the farming clan leader, and Deungnyang, then said,

“Chief Cha.”

“Yes?”

“Give it about [N O V E L I G H T] thirty days. If there’s no major issue, call in the Architectural Sect.”

“Understood.”

“Tell Yeon Ja-seong not to rush to take payment right away. Instruct him to bill for the setup costs until things settle, and to hire locals to establish a branch here. From then on, those locals will need to be paid as regular workers. It doesn’t matter if it takes a while, but he’ll understand what I mean if you tell him to use the locals as Architectural Sect workers.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Yes, I understand.”

I turned to the farming clan leader.

“I’m planning to summon some Haomun-affiliated construction craftsmen. You should meet them later.”

“Alright.”

“Chief Cha, your task will be to coordinate meetings between different factions. You don’t need to follow us for a while. Focus on managing things here—and keep training the Hundred Battles Tenfold Technique. You’re still not strong enough to kill even a single ghost, so we can’t rely on you yet.”

“Got it.”

I looked at the clan leader and Deungnyang.

“I’ll be moving locations slowly with these men. Please inform the scholar faction.”

Deungnyang asked,

“Where are you headed?”

I glanced at the Four Villains, then answered him.

“We’re going to Manjang Gorge.”

“Hmm, Manjang Gorge?”

“If I stay here, it’ll only make it harder for ordinary people to return. It’s better for me to leave. Heading toward Manjang Gorge will naturally draw in those who have business with me. But whether they’re friend or foe, I don’t want anyone without skill coming near it.”

Deungnyang nodded.

“Understood. I’ll deliver the message.”

I turned to the farming clan leader.

“Clan Lord.”

“Speak.”

“I’m grateful for the farming militia’s help, but there’s no need for you to follow us to Manjang Gorge. It seems better for you to remain and assist the Architectural Sect and Haomun here. What do you think?”

The clan leader paused to think.

“...Hmm. Yes, I’ll do that. If a fight does break out in Manjang Gorge, I’ll see if I can send someone stronger than me. When are you leaving?”

I stood up from my chair and looked to the Four Villains.

“Let’s go.”

“Already?”

The Sword Demon, Lecher, and Drunk stared at me. Now that it was time to move, it seemed they had grown attached to their seats.

I added a little motivation.

“I know a place in Manjang Gorge where rare elixirs can be found. Even ones we weren’t able to retrieve before.”

All three rose at once and straightened their clothes.

“Let’s go.”

“If you’d led with that, we’d have gotten up immediately.”

I also said my farewell to Cha Seong-tae.

“...If you go to Ilyang County, pass along my regards.”

Cha Seong-tae looked at me blankly before replying,

“Understood. Sword Demon, Master Yukhap, Young Lord Mong—please be careful.”

As he offered his farewells one by one, the Four Villains also turned to him.

The eldest said,

“Chief Cha, you look stronger now. Good to see. Let’s meet again.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Drunk chimed in.

“You’ve worked hard, Chief Cha. See you again.”

The Lecher gave a strange look and said,

“Chief, let’s have a drink when we return. At Maehwaru.”

Cha Seong-tae nodded, then added,

“I hope you all return safely and continue training Yoran...”

I stared at Cha Seong-tae without saying anything. Then, for the first time in a while, he dared to speak informally to me again.

“...Take care.”

“Seong-tae.”

“Yes?”

“Are we going off to die or something? Don’t get all sentimental before I beat your ass.”

Only then did Cha Seong-tae finally smile.

I looked around and waved at the three.

“See you again.”

***

The Sword Demon asked me,

“What kind of elixir are we talking about?”

“There was a Moon Orchid beneath Manjang Gorge.”

The Lecher shouted loudly.

“What?!”

“Shut it. Be quiet. I already ate it. That’s not the point. What’s important is this—I caught and ate a huge fish near the Moon Orchid, and the cold energy I’d absorbed from the flower vanished almost immediately. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but it wasn’t. Just like how antidotes exist near poisons, the fish was a natural remedy for extreme yin injuries. It went beyond nourishment—it helped with cultivating extreme yang internal energy.”

The Drunk asked,

“So there’s a lake beneath Manjang Gorge?”

“Yeah.”

“That must be an ancient lake. Probably untouched by people.”

“It could be over ten thousand years old. I mean, what kind of lunatic would climb down there just to catch a fish?”

The Lecher stared at me.

“You.”

“That’s right. The man who shattered ten thousand years of peace—that’s me.”

As we walked, a few figures started trailing us.

I stopped and watched from a distance. An elderly man with a head full of white hair also came to a stop and stared back at us. When the wind blew, his white hair fluttered, revealing a hollow where one eye should’ve been.

The Lecher asked,

“So... do we kill him?”

I stared at the white-haired old man for a while, then answered,

“No. Let’s go.”

I turned away and kept walking. Occasionally, the Lecher looked back and gave a running commentary.

“A skinny one just joined him. He’s pulling something out of his robe. A hidden weapon? No, he’s launching it into the sky.”

Soon, a whooshing wind followed by an aerial explosion rang out.

The Drunk calmly asked,

“There’s two of them and four of us. Shouldn’t we just deal with them now?”

I stopped and looked again at the two men following us. The white-haired old man and the scrawny elder had stopped and were still watching us.

I picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the white-haired man. He flicked his hand, and the stone crumbled to dust in mid-air.

“....”

A sigh escaped me.

I called out to him.

“...Elder, we’re headed to Manjang Gorge for a fight. Would you let us pass quietly?”

The white-haired man nodded. The skinny elder answered in his place.

“Then go ahead.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

I couldn’t say how much I could trust the words of wandering ghosts, but for now, I set off toward Manjang Gorge with the Four Villains. The number of ghosts behind us kept increasing. Even the Lecher, who had been giving constant updates, eventually got tired and fell silent.

After a while, I asked the Lecher,

“What about the Black-Clad Person?”

“Still no sign.”

“What about the young one?”

“Nope. Is this even right? Their numbers just keep growing.”

I nodded.

“I’m the one who suggested this, so I have to stick to it. This is right. Not only enemies will come.”

Just then, three Black-Clad figures landed lightly in front of us, blocking the road.

As we halted, the skinny elder behind us spoke.

“Move aside. We’re going to fight at Manjang Gorge.”

I said to the three in black,

“You heard him. Step aside.”

The three shifted left and right to let us through, glaring as we passed. It seemed we would go through without issue, until one of them opened his mouth.

“...Thirteen, you’ve lasted a long time.”

The Sword Demon snorted a laugh. The one calling him “Thirteen” asked from behind,

“Do you remember who I am?”

The Sword Demon responded while walking,

“Your voice is familiar, but I’ve forgotten most of it. Show your face if you want to talk.”

“Heretic. Those who died competing against you must be the most bitter of all.”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“If they’re dead, bitterness is expected.”

We all chuckled quietly at his response.

“He’s right.”

As we continued walking, the voice of the scrawny elder rang out.

“...What’s all this pointless chatter? Do you want to die?”

“Apologies.”

It seemed he was scolding the Black-Clad figure who had spoken to the Sword Demon. The elder continued.

“Thirteen at least held the position of Left Guardian. What about you? Huh? What are you? What number was this guy?”

Someone replied.

“Number Twenty-Seven. Survived internal deviation from the Old Night Demon Technique.”

“There’s deviation in the Old Night Demon Technique? That’s a skill you can overcome if your internal energy’s solid.”

Then came a voice with a metallic tinge.

“Enough.”

“....”

In an instant, all the ghosts trailing behind us fell silent. I was curious whose voice it was, but guessed it belonged to the white-haired old man. He looked like someone who’d already died once and come back. The missing eye and ruined throat seemed to be the result of internal injuries or deviation. In any case, he appeared to be the highest-ranking among the ghosts so far.

I led the group along paths so rarely used they couldn’t even be called roads. With the demonic outcasts following me, I suppose I too was walking a path of demons.

The Drunk finally spoke what he’d been pondering.

“...Are they mixed in among the Black-Clad?”

“Seems like it. They must’ve disguised themselves from the start, planning to ambush us.”

The ones following us spoke casually too.

“Shouldn’t we just kill them all here? Do we really have to go all the way to Manjang Gorge?”

As one of them grumbled, some of the ghosts chuckled. Then an elder responded.

“Really? You want to kill them here?”

“Yes.”

“Then go and do it. We’ll watch.”

“...I apologize.”

“What are you apologizing for? You said it, now follow through. Gate Lord of Haomun, would you stop for a moment?”

When we stopped and turned, the scrawny elder pointed at one of the Black-Clad and said,

“This one here suddenly wants to kill all of you right now. Think of it as entertainment—would you accept?”

I answered simply.

“Sure. Send him.”

“....”

The scrawny elder looked at the Black-Clad man and spoke.

“Go challenge them. It’s the life-or-death battle you wanted. If you don’t, we’ll kill you ourselves. I’ll count to three. One.”

Laughter echoed from the ghosts.

“Two.”

The Black-Clad stepped forward.

“...I will challenge them.”

The one who had stepped out now advanced toward us. The moment I saw the murderous glare in the white-haired elder’s remaining eye, I warned the Black-Clad.

“Hey, be carefu—”

Before I could finish saying “careful,” the white-haired elder swung his arm the same way he had shattered the stone.

Pwoosh!

The Black-Clad who had taken a few steps toward us had his entire upper body torn clean off, and the half-left torso collapsed forward. The ghosts burst into laughter and mocked the corpse.

“Pathetic.”

“No one’s gonna run their mouth now, right?”

As the white-haired elder glared at us, the scrawny elder pointed ahead again.

“Let’s go! To Manjang Gorge!”

I figured the scrawny elder was at least a little pleasant, so I snapped my fingers.

“Alright then. Let’s go. A journey with ghosts—what a nostalgic thrill.”

I walked alongside the Four Villains, heading once again for Manjang Gorge.

The Lecher muttered,

“Hey... but what if no one actually shows up? This is starting to feel off. That bastard White-Robed Scholar isn’t even here.”

Someone behind us responded to the Lecher’s comment.

“Oh, are you waiting for the White-Robed Scholar? That old man who plays Go was looking for a match—maybe they ran into each other. Gate Lord of Haomun, we know you’ve got plenty of reinforcements. Don’t treat us like fools.”

I stopped and turned to find the source of the voice.

“Who said that just now?”

A middle-aged man in a blue robe responded.

“I did.”

I nodded and answered sincerely.

“Senior, when did I treat you like a fool? I’m just saying we’re outnumbered, so I was hoping reinforcements would show.”

“Ah, is that so?”

I nodded again and gestured down the road.

“Let’s go. It'll be dark soon.”

“Lead the way.”

And so, I walked with the Four Villains and a crowd of ghosts down a road growing darker with each step. We could be attacked from behind at any moment, making this the scariest walk I’d ever taken.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

“Wow, I’ve never had a walk this terrifying in my life.”

Since the ghosts and the Four Villains all stayed silent, it ended up being a monologue.

The wind grew colder and colder.