Chapter 169

“So it was the Dark-Shadow Gu Family after all.”

Gal So-ye’s gaze turned cold.
Whether because she had heard me mutter the name or because she had already reached the same conclusion, I couldn’t tell.
She continued in a calm voice.

“I already had my suspicions. Copper Ore Powder and Cold Mercury are items the Dark-Shadow Gu Family purchases regularly. I’ve been waiting because we lacked physical evidence, but it seems I no longer have to.”

Gal So-ye’s gaze shifted to the metal fragment.
In my previous life, she had gone so far as to fabricate evidence that didn’t exist to strike at the Seven Demonic Houses.
Perhaps because the timing and circumstances were different now, she had been cautious. But apparently, that caution had reached its end.
She had already been at least ninety percent certain that Gu Cheong-won was involved with the Heaven Rebelling Society, so she would probably use this as grounds to strike the Dark-Shadow Gu Family.

‘They’ll be completely devastated.’

Gal So-ye had been capable of crushing three of the Seven Demonic Houses at once. This time, she only had one in her sights.
The Dark-Shadow Gu Family would never be able to stop her.

-I’m going to destroy this family.

For some reason,
Gu Cheong-won’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
It was as though the words he had spoken in the Golden Resonance Vault were ringing in my ears.
Back then, I had simply thought Gu Cheong-won was insane and spouting nonsense because of it.
But after finding this metal fragment, those words sounded different.

‘There’s something going on.’

If he merely hated the family’s ways or had a poor relationship with the Patriarch, he would have talked about leaving the family or severing ties with them.
But he had said he would destroy the family.
Those words carried an entirely different weight.
He would never have used a word like that unless he was prepared to stain his own blood relatives in blood.

‘What reason could he have for going that far?’

In my previous life, Gu Cheong-won had resisted Geuk Mu-hyeok to the very end.
Even then, nothing particularly unusual had happened to the Dark-Shadow Gu Family.
Then had it really just been nonsense?
Nothing was certain yet.
But I felt I shouldn’t let this clue slip away.

“Grand Strategist, I think it may be a little too soon.”

I put the brakes on Gal So-ye’s plan.
I had no grounds to stop her, nor any reason to protect Gu Cheong-won.
With evidence like this already uncovered, what right did I have to tell her to leave the Dark-Shadow Gu Family alone?
But I had a feeling that if she struck the Dark-Shadow Gu Family now, Gu Cheong-won’s secret might remain buried forever.
Gal So-ye asked,

“Too soon?”
“We may have physical evidence, but if the Dark-Shadow Gu Family denies it’s theirs, there isn’t much we can do immediately. If we ignore that and attack the Gu Family anyway, we could give the Seven Demonic Houses an excuse to rise up against us.”
“Then we make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“But the Seven Demonic Houses are already on edge these days. Can’t we watch the situation a little longer?”

I didn’t tell Gal So-ye what Gu Cheong-won had said.
Something told me I shouldn’t.
It was pure instinct with no evidence behind it, but I tended to trust my instincts.

“And what if they complete the concealed weapon for detonating Falling Thunder Powder while we wait? Casualties on our side will increase.”
“Most of those casualties would be martial artists from the Seven Demonic Houses anyway. You’d find some way to push them to the front.”
“‘Push them to the front’ is a rather unpleasant way to put it.”
“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

Gal So-ye stared at me.
Silence passed for a moment.

“Seventh Young Lord.”
“Yes.”
“Did Third Young Lord happen to tell you something?”

I nearly flinched without realizing it.
I hadn’t expected her to hit the answer dead-on in one try.
But I pretended nothing was wrong and shook my head.

“Of course not. He didn’t tell me anything.”
“Hmm. Then how long do you intend to wait and watch?”
“Until everything becomes clearer.”
“And Seventh Young Lord will decide when that is?”
“Probably not me. Third Sahyung will be the one to decide.”

Gal So-ye’s eyes flashed at the suggestive remark.
Then she smiled and said,

“Are you planning to meet Third Young Lord in person and feel him out about this incident?”
“I don’t particularly want to see him, but this time I think I will.”
“Very well. Seventh Young Lord isn’t someone who talks nonsense. Still, I can’t say I’m particularly pleased. Weren’t we supposed to be completely honest with each other?”

She seemed certain I was hiding something.
Rather than deny it to the end, I left things deliberately ambiguous.

“It’s not something I can tell you yet. I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
“So I have to wait again until then. Heuk, heuk.”

Gal So-ye actually made the sobbing sounds with her mouth.
Her face was expressionless.
No, beyond expressionless. It was downright cold.

‘Looks like I’ll have to open up one of my bags of secrets.’

A secret only had value when you knew it before everyone else.
The fact that I had acquired Heaven Silkworm silk would eventually spread.
If the information was going to get out anyway, it was better to put it in Gal So-ye’s ear before anyone else’s.
Letting someone know before anyone else made them feel special.
When enough of that special treatment accumulated, it became trust, and trust proved its worth in situations like the one we had just run into.

“We said we’d be completely honest with each other, right?”
“We did. And unlike Seventh Young Lord, I have been.”
“Ahem. Actually, there is something confidential I can tell you……”
“What is it?”

There was the slightest hint of interest in her voice.
I lowered my voice conspiratorially.

“Keep this to yourself, Grand Strategist. The truth is, I came into possession of some Heaven Silkworm silk.”
“Thank you.”
“What?”

I blinked.
Thank you? Out of nowhere?
Gal So-ye asked without changing expression.

“You weren’t telling me because you were giving it to me?”
“Not at all.”
“Tch.”

Gal So-ye clicked her tongue.
She looked genuinely disappointed. Or was I imagining things?
She said,

“You know the difficult part about Heaven Silkworm silk is working it, right? Have you decided who you’ll entrust it to?”

Without me even asking, Gal So-ye scratched exactly where it itched.
That was another reason I had deliberately told her about the Heaven Silkworm silk.
I wanted advice from the information-rich Gal So-ye on who could work the material.
I couldn’t think of anyone myself.

“Not yet. Do you know someone good?”

Gal So-ye seemed to think for a moment.
Then the corner of her mouth rose strangely.

“This is amusing.”
“What is?”
“I do know someone who is very skilled at working Heaven Silkworm silk.”
“And?”
“Third Young Lord.”
“……Third Sahyung?”
“Yes. Him.”

For a moment, I was speechless.
That man was good at working Heaven Silkworm silk?
It was something I had never imagined.

Gal So-ye continued as if elaborating.

“The Dark-Shadow Gu Family is famous for its craftsmanship. They haven’t reached the pinnacle of a single field like the Iron-Gold Wi Family, but they produce high-quality goods across many disciplines. And among those, they are especially renowned for working Heaven Silkworm silk.”
“And that’s why you mentioned Third Sahyung?”
“Heaven Silkworm silk is exceedingly rare. Unless you run a private secret auction house like Third Young Lord does, it isn’t easy to obtain.”

I crossed my arms.
It made sense, though I didn’t particularly want to admit it.
The thought of having to ask that man for a favor already rubbed me the wrong way.

Perhaps she knew exactly what I was thinking.
Gal So-ye gave me a peculiar smile.

“Seventh Young Lord just said you intended to meet Third Young Lord anyway. Wouldn’t using the Heaven Silkworm silk as a pretext make the meeting perfectly natural?”
“Giving me someone to work the silk wasn’t enough, so now you’re spoon-feeding me a pretext too?”
“This is what it means to be in the same boat. Understand?”
“How thoughtful. Thanks to you, I’ll have no trouble swallowing it.”
“I’m delighted to have helped. By all means, go enjoy some brotherly affection with your fellow disciple. But.”

Gal So-ye narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t take too long. I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“……All right.”

That ended the conversation.
I left the Strategist’s Office and returned to Hidden Cloud Pavilion.

Beginning the next day, Hidden Cloud Pavilion underwent a major change.
With Hwang Seung-jong’s return, the relocation suddenly picked up speed.
The absolute formation installed in my room had held things up for a long time, but at last we could move forward.

“Huaaam.”

Early in the morning, Hwang Seung-jong appeared with a yawn.
He had contacted the Illusory Hwang Family and obtained the materials he needed.
Hwang Seung-hyu had torn into him for disappearing without a word, but Hwang Seung-jong hadn’t so much as twitched an eyebrow.

“I’m going to Demon Awakening Peak. Have it done properly.”
“Don’t worry. Trust the Illusory Demon Talent.”

Hwang Seung-jong spoke confidently.
With one ankle still in a splint.

“If it gets difficult, ask someone else for help.”
“I can handle it alone, so go get your training.”
“Alright.”

I left him behind and headed for the carriage.
The sight of that splinted ankle made me uneasy, but

‘…He’ll manage somehow.’

“Time to work.”

The moment Baek Su-gyeong left, Hwang Seung-jong declared solemnly.
He carefully traced along the outside of the room.
He had to work backward from the point farthest from where the formation artifact was hidden.
Formulas had been densely inscribed across the walls.
He erased them one by one, like unpicking the stitches of a garment that had been sewn incorrectly.

Gulp-

Installing a formation was difficult, but dismantling one was twice as hard.
Moving one to another location multiplied that difficulty several times over.
Because the formation artifacts had to be safely recovered while the formation was already active.
If the sequence went wrong or he failed to control his power properly, the formation would run rampant.
And the consequences would not end with a single room being blown away.

Woooong.
The formation trembled.
The closer he came to the artifact, the stronger the trembling became.
Slowly. Slowly.
At last, Hwang Seung-jong’s hand reached the dragon horn.
Pajit, pajijit-!
Sweat sprang from Hwang Seung-jong’s forehead.
One wrong move here and it was over.

He held his breath.
He focused every nerve on his fingertips.
The formulas inscribed on the dragon horn were on an entirely different level from those outside.
Only after a long while,

“Huuuuu.”

Hwang Seung-jong released a long breath.
Success.
The formation had been dismantled.
He hadn’t even begun the relocation yet, but this alone had left Hwang Seung-jong so exhausted he felt ready to collapse.
His swollen ankle only made it worse.
All that remained was to install the absolute formation in Seventh Young Lord’s new residence.

He placed the dragon horn, the Mirror Cinnabar supplied by his family, and the other materials into a sack.
It was heavy enough to make his arms ache just from lifting it slightly.
Hwang Seung-jong immediately knew he wouldn’t make it three steps carrying the thing.
His gaze slid toward the far side of the courtyard.
At Hidden Cloud Pavilion, where relocation preparations were in full swing, freight carts pulled by packhorses were constantly coming and going.
He spotted one cart that was just about to depart.
Hwang Seung-jong limped toward it.

“Wait!”

Hwang Seung-jong stopped the cart and called out to the laborer.

“Load my things on there too, would you?”
“That?”

The laborer lifted the sack and grimaced.

“It’s for Seventh Young Lord, not me, so stop making faces and load it already.”
“Alright.”

The heavy sack was loaded onto the cart.
Apparently it had been heavy, because the laborer rubbed his shoulder.
Just as he was about to take the reins, Hwang Seung-jong called him again.

“Wait.”
“What is it this time?”
“Give me a ride too.”
“…….”

The laborer sighed and told him to climb onto any of the cargo.
Hwang Seung-jong quickly hopped aboard.
He could manage short distances on one foot if he had to. But why suffer when there was an easier way?

The freight cart slowly began to move.
The relocation site was a fair distance away, but sitting atop the rattling cart with the breeze on his face was surprisingly pleasant.
If he had walked, his ankle probably would have swollen to twice its size before he even arrived.

‘Hehe. This is why you have to use your head.’

He arrived at the new Hidden Cloud Pavilion.
He had the laborer let him off with the sack in front of Baek Su-gyeong’s new residence.
He passed a training ground where Ak Mu-jin and the Longevity Ten were training, but Hwang Seung-jong didn’t call out to them.
Things were a little awkward after he had attacked Ak Mu-jin out of nowhere.

“Whew. This place is huge.”

Hwang Seung-jong briefly examined the inside and outside.
The residence consisted of two rooms connected by a central hall.
To install the absolute formation anew, he would have to inscribe formulas across every wall of both rooms.

He wondered if he had been too quick to boast that he could do it alone, but it was too late to back down now.
He had said he would finish today, so finish today he would.

Hwang Seung-jong immediately began the formation installation.
As expected, it wasn’t easy.
Because the rooms were larger, he had to recalculate the density of the formulas, and the different wall material caused the Mirror Cinnabar to soak in at a subtly different rate.

Even while pouring his concentration and sorcerous power into inscribing the formulas, Hwang Seung-jong had to lug the jar of Mirror Cinnabar from wall to wall, grunting under its weight.
His swollen ankle throbbed every time he moved.
He was right in the middle of struggling with the work when,

“Do you need help?”

It was Ak Mu-jin, wearing his mask.

“……You came to help?”

Ak Mu-jin nodded.
Hwang Seung-jong was inwardly impressed.
He had been the one who struck Ak Mu-jin, yet Ak Mu-jin was the one approaching him first.

“Then I’ll gladly accept. Bring that jar over here.”
“Very well.”

Ak Mu-jin moved the jar without difficulty.
For a while, they worked without speaking.
Then, while Hwang Seung-jong sat down briefly to catch his breath, Ak Mu-jin asked,

“How is your ankle?”

Once again, Hwang Seung-jong was impressed.
He was actually worried about him.
Hwang Seung-jong saw Ak Mu-jin in an entirely new light.
To think he was such a magnanimous man.

“It’s uncomfortable, but I’m fine.”
“With a weak ankle, it is difficult to accomplish anything.”
“Yeah. I really learned that this time.”

With a grunt, Hwang Seung-jong got back to his feet.
He was about to resume working when,

“Once you twist an ankle, it tends to happen again. Best to be careful not to injure it in the first place.”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”

As he answered, Hwang Seung-jong suddenly tilted his head.

‘Why does he keep talking about my ankle?’

If he was merely worried, once would have been enough. This was already the third time.
The Ak Mu-jin he knew was not the type to repeat himself.
Still puzzled, he continued working.
Before long, Ak Mu-jin spoke again.

“It is best not to kick hard things recklessly. You only end up hurting yourself.”

Hwang Seung-jong’s hands froze.
At last, he understood Ak Mu-jin’s true purpose.
He had thought Ak Mu-jin was worried about him, but the bastard had been taking roundabout jabs at him the entire time!

“Is this because of what happened yesterday?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“Don’t play dumb. You’ve been going on about my ankle this whole time because you want an apology, don’t you?”

Hwang Seung-jong demanded.
Ak Mu-jin calmly looked at him.

“If you insist on apologizing, I suppose I won’t refuse.”
“Wow.”

Hwang Seung-jong felt betrayed.
He had been admiring Ak Mu-jin’s magnanimity, only to discover the reality was exactly the opposite.
Wouldn’t it have been better to just demand an apology outright?

“Can’t you see this? I’m the one who got hurt. There wasn’t even a speck of internal energy behind that kick.”
Ak Mu-jin replied evenly.

“I suppose someone told you to strike me?”
“How was I supposed to know you had some ridiculous training method like that? Everyone was doing it, so I thought something had happened.”

He had learned the truth after returning.
Ak Mu-jin’s Corpse-Body Reinforcement Art had advanced, and his training method had changed accordingly.

“You looked rather pleased with yourself.”
“Ah, whatever. We’ll talk about it later. Can’t you see I’m busy? Seriously, you always get chatty the moment you put that mask on.”

Hwang Seung-jong grumbled and resumed working.
Ak Mu-jin could easily have taken offense at that attitude, but he silently continued helping.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
At last, the final formula settled into place on the wall.
The dragon horn shone brilliantly.
All the formulas linked together organically, and it felt as though an invisible net had wrapped around the entire room.
The absolute formation had activated.

“……Done.”

Hwang Seung-jong collapsed where he stood.
His lingering exhaustion, injured ankle, and the difficulty of reinstalling the formation.
Together, they had made the work extremely taxing.

“Good work.”

Ak Mu-jin spoke briefly and turned away.
Then he added,

“If the swelling hasn’t gone down by tomorrow, visit Ink-Needle Hall again.”

Ak Mu-jin took one step away, then another.
Hwang Seung-jong watched his retreating back with a frown, then let out a deep sigh.
Then he called out,

“Hey, Unit Leader Ak.”
“……?”

Ak Mu-jin looked back.
Hwang Seung-jong tossed out a short remark.

“Uh, sorry about that.”

It was brief.
There were no excuses or embellishments, but it was the fullest apology Hwang Seung-jong could manage.
Ak Mu-jin stared at Hwang Seung-jong for a moment, then raised a hand and removed his mask.
A very faint smile rested on the face revealed beneath it.
Without a word, he nodded, turned away again, and left.
Hwang Seung-jong scratched his head, then found himself chuckling as well.