“It is an honor to welcome you again. The Clan Head is away on family matters and cannot greet you in person, but he has given strict instructions—repeatedly—that you are to lack for nothing during your stay.”

“That's quite alright. I'm already grateful for the warm welcome despite arriving unannounced.”

Seolhwa exchanged greetings with the Chief Steward of the Zhuge Clan.

The steward led her to the same guest quarters the Namgoong Clan had previously occupied.

“If you need anything, please summon a servant. Once you've rested, we will guide you to your dinner with Young Lord Hwi.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Her meeting with Zhuge Hwi was scheduled for the evening.

It was Seolhwa herself who had requested they meet after she had time to recover from travel fatigue.

That timing also allowed her to enter the Ten-Thousand-Mile Phantom Step Formation after sunset.

There’s no need to go during the day when so many eyes are around.

She once again retraced in her mind the path leading from Zhuge Hwi’s quarters to the Ten-Thousand-Mile Phantom Step Formation.

In hindsight, meeting Zhuge Hwi that day had been a stroke of luck.

Because of that meeting—and the tea they shared—she had learned of the formation’s existence and had a chance to familiarize herself with the internal structure of the Zhuge Clan’s inner court.

I just have to make sure he doesn’t suspect anything.

Seolhwa unpacked her belongings while mentally rehearsing the events that would take place that evening.

****

“I didn’t expect to meet you again so soon.”

“I really enjoyed the tea you served me last time. I wanted to repay your hospitality, so I stopped by on my way through.”

“I actually already received your gift through the servants. It’s an incredibly rare tea leaf.”

“They say the tree that produces those leaves is used for imperial tribute. It’s from that tree.”

Zhuge Hwi’s expression filled with surprise.

“I can’t possibly accept something so valuable. It’s far too generous compared to what I gave you. I’ll make sure you take it back with you before you leave.”

“Are you telling me to take back the gift I brought? I won’t even be returning to my main house right away.”

Zhuge Hwi looked genuinely flustered.

“Then I’ll return it to the Namgoong Clan on your behalf. Consider that my way of reciprocating.”

“Uprightness is good and all, but sometimes it’s okay to bend.”

“...”

“You hear that a lot, don’t you?”

“I do, yes.”

Uprightness, after all, could also be called inflexibility.

Wanting to return her gift out of principle—this was one of those inflexible traits.

But Seolhwa didn’t intend to call it that.

Inflexibility was simply the flip side of integrity.

“If you insist, then at least share a bit of your Cheongjeon Tea with me.”

“I might have to give you everything I have left.”

“That’s fine too.”

Zhuge Hwi fell into thought.

It seemed he was trying to find a compromise he could live with.

“In that case, I’ll send you a portion each month whenever a new harvest comes in. Since I’ve received such a fine gift, that much effort on my part is only right.”

“Yes. I’d like that.”

Only then did Zhuge Hwi’s expression brighten.

Was giving someone a simple bag of tea really such a complicated ordeal?

He really was the embodiment of rigid virtue.

Now visibly more relaxed, Zhuge Hwi asked,

“You’re headed to Mount Hua, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Is it regarding the Alliance?”

So, Zhuge Hwi was already aware of the Alliance.

The fact that he knew something not yet confirmed publicly could only mean one thing.

The Zhuge Clan intends to raise Young Lord Hwi as the next Clan Head.

Sharing information about the political climate and clan affairs was standard practice when grooming someone to lead.

In that sense, it was curious that Zhuge Hwi would be the one to bring up the Alliance first.

How could he know that someone not even a successor candidate might have knowledge of it?

Grandfather wouldn’t have told him I was the one who proposed forming the Alliance.

Was he probing her?

Not that there’s any reason to hide it.

Wanting to gauge his stance, Seolhwa turned the question back on him.

“What are your thoughts on the Alliance, Young Lord?”

“I believe it is absolutely necessary for the current Murim.”

His decisive and unwavering answer surprised Seolhwa slightly.

The Zhuge Clan had always been defensive and withdrawn.

Forming a martial alliance meant turning outward—engaging with external affairs.

And if the Alliance became the priority, clan matters would inevitably fall by the wayside. Namgoong Mucheon had long criticized the Zhuge Clan for this passivity.

Even in her previous life, after the Alliance was formed, the Zhuge Clan had taken no part in it.

“That’s unexpected.”

“In truth, my view does go against my clan’s position.”

So they were still as passive as before.

“Why do you think the Alliance is necessary?” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

“There are many reasons, but the greatest is protection.”

Zhuge Hwi set down his teacup and straightened his posture.

“The current state of Murim is like a man standing on the tip of a spear.”

A precarious situation—gandu jise.

“But don’t most people say this is the most peaceful era Murim has ever known? Your view is the complete opposite.”

“Think of danger in times of peace; prepare, and you shall be ready; be ready, and you’ll have no cause for worry.”

Geoan sawi, sajeuk yubi, yubi muhwan.

Murim is a battlefield ruled by the strong. Silence doesn’t mean peace. Sooner or later, a storm will come—and now is the time to prepare for it.

“You’re saying the formation of the Alliance is part of that preparation?”

“If the righteous sects band together and show the world our strength, that alone is a form of deterrence.”

There’s a world of difference between an Alliance that exists and one that doesn’t.

Even unruly children behave themselves in front of a fearsome adult.

“And if a powerful enemy appears, we’ll be able to unite and respond swiftly. Right now, Murim is fragmented and chaotic. The Alliance would serve as a focal point to unify all that scattered strength.”

Zhuge Hwi understood the founding purpose of the Murim Alliance clearly.

Even if it diminished his clan’s influence, he knew that building the Alliance was ultimately an act of preservation.

More than that—he foresaw that a powerful enemy might eventually appear.

Seolhwa was once again surprised.

Is it because he fought the Assassins' Barracks?

The appearance of the Blood Reaper, master of the Kill Barracks, must have left a deep impact.

Before the Blood Reaper appeared, the Kill Barracks had been a decaying remnant of a bygone cult.

Their sudden resurrection proved that a deadly enemy could appear at any time.

“Please, I hope you’ll bring the Alliance into reality, Young Miss.”

Seolhwa met his unwavering, sincere gaze head-on.

“Such a request...”

It wasn’t the gaze of someone fishing for information.

He knew exactly how important her role was and was asking her directly.

“You should ask my grandfather, not me.”

“He’s not someone one can meet lightly, is he?”

Zhuge Hwi smiled faintly.

“Could you convey my request ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) to him?”

It was a smile that revealed nothing of what he was truly thinking.

Had he heard something from Abbess Yupyo?

But Abbess Yupyo didn’t know her that well either.

So how did Zhuge Hwi know she was involved in the Alliance?

Seolhwa swallowed her unease and nodded.

“...I’ll do that.”

Zhuge Hwi.

She would need to look into him more carefully.

****

“Please take care on your way back.”

After barely managing to shake off Zhuge Hwi, who insisted on escorting her all the way to her quarters, Seolhwa stepped out of his residence.

Zhuge Hwi continued waving, reluctant to part, until she was out of sight.

Because of that, Seolhwa had to take a longer route to reach the Ten-Thousand-Mile Phantom Step Formation.

[Come to think of it, I entered through a garden path in the outer court, but the formation exited into the inner court.]

— Which means the formation connects both the inner and outer courts.

[Hmph. I wonder why they bothered doing it that way.]

By creating a path into the formation from the outer court, it meant even non-Zhuge members could step into it.

As the Imugi suspected, there had to be a reason for designing multiple entry points.

“!”

From a distance, she sensed two people approaching.

Seolhwa hid herself in the shadows.

“I’m telling you, the Namgoong girl definitely likes our young master! Why else would she come rushing here?”

“She said it was just a stop on her way to Mount Hua. Maybe she really did have business and dropped by.”

“What business? Something definitely happened at the last gathering—”

Two Zhuge martial artists passed by on patrol.

Emerging from the shadows, Seolhwa was now dressed in sleek, black martial attire.

Watching the patrol recede into the distance, her silhouette flickered and vanished soundlessly into the night.