A heavy silence fell over the Golden Saucer Hall, once the proud possession of the Lee Clan’s merchant guild and now one of Luoyang’s finest inns. Among the assembled vigilantes, the smokers began to draw out their cigarettes one by one. Even those who didn’t normally smoke accepted the offered cigarettes and lit them. Had the ceiling not been open to the night air, the hall would have quickly filled with a thick haze.

Once again, it was Cheong Ho-wi who broke the silence. “It was I who requested a complete reorganization of our group. But to become the Grand Young Master’s subordinates…” His voice dwindled. “We do not doubt that you have your own great cause, my lord, but…” He trailed off, the end of his sentence lost in hesitation. “We don’t doubt it, but… well. That is to say… hmm.”

He was a man of conscience, a man who understood the weight of gratitude.

“I know what you mean to say,” Yeon So-hyeon said with a smile, finishing the thought for him. “You’re wondering if my cause is as pure as yours, is that it?”

“…Ah, yes.” Hearing his unspoken thoughts laid bare, Cheong Ho-wi let out a sigh of relief mixed with resignation. “It’s just that—”

He was cut off by a ripple of soft laughter that spread through about half of the assembled crowd. Cheong Ho-wi and the other younger vigilantes looked around, their expressions baffled.

“…?”

They couldn’t understand what was so amusing about the situation.

A wry smile touched Yeon So-hyeon’s lips as he sent a telepathic message to the elderly vigilante. [Did you not tell your comrades that I am the Venerable One of Dark Heavens?]

That was it. The reason Cheong Ho-wi and the others doubted the purity of his intentions was because they were unaware of his other identity.

[Of course not,] the old man replied, taking a drag from his cigarette and shrugging at Yeon So-hyeon. He was one of those who had escaped from the construction site thanks to the young lord. [We are not so lacking in faith that we would carelessly speak of information that could endanger our benefactor.]

[Not even to your comrades?]

[Not to our comrades, not even to our own families.]

Yeon So-hyeon nodded. Faithfulness. He felt he had just glimpsed one of the core principles that had allowed the Spring of Luoyang to remain a secret for so long.

“I will vouch for the fact that the Grand Young Master’s cause is as pure as ours… no,” the elderly vigilante began, his voice ringing with conviction, “purer than ours.”

Others who had been at the construction site and witnessed Yeon So-hyeon’s other identity quickly added their support.

“If you doubt the Grand Young Master’s pure intentions, you might as well doubt me.”

“The same goes for me. My only concern was for the future of our organization, not any suspicion of his lordship.”

Then, a man who had been sitting alone in a corner spoke up. “I don’t care what anyone else says.”

All eyes turned to him. He was known among them as the one who harbored the deepest hatred for the Luoyang Sword Clan and the greatest contempt for those in power.

The explosives expert from before. Yeon So-hyeon recognized his face. This was the man who had made it possible for them to hold the nearly completed buildings hostage with the explosives from the powder magazine.

“From the moment the Grand Young Master appeared in that hellish place,” the man said, downing his drink without a care for the eyes upon him, “I decided to entrust my fate to him.” He looked up at Yeon So-hyeon on the balcony and declared to the entire assembly, “Regardless of this meeting’s outcome, from this day forward, I am the Grand Young Master’s man.”

A murmur of shock and confusion spread through the crowd.

[It seems something significant happened there. Do you know anything?]

[I do not. I would like to know myself.]

[What on earth did the Grand Young Master show them…]

The whispers came primarily from the younger vigilantes who had not been at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly construction site.

“One moment,” the elderly vigilante said, raising a hand to quiet the room. “I am certain the Grand Young Master has no intention of tearing our organization apart just to take a few of us. There must be a reason why he wants us to come under his command now.” His clear gaze turned to Yeon So-hyeon. “Is that not so, my lord?”

With a short sigh, Yeon So-hyeon nodded. “It is.”

At his response, the old man sighed as well. “…So it is not yet over.”

“It is not over.”

The expressions on many faces hardened, while those who had held out a sliver of hope clicked their tongues in disappointment.

***

As the sun set over the old district of Luoyang, the streets lay unnaturally empty. Normally, this area would be teeming with vagrants and wanderers, but tonight, not a soul was in sight.

[Sector Three search complete. Nothing unusual.]

[Sector Five search in progress.]

A group of figures was conducting a sweep of the warehouse district. Clad in black and with their faces concealed, they were all armed.

[Signs of multiple carriages having passed through have been confirmed.]

[Team One will follow the tracks. Team Two will gather information on the carriages through canvassing.]

All their communication was conducted via a specially devised form of telepathy. The only sound in the field was the whisper of their own breathing.

[Messenger.]

[Yes.]

They were the Tamrang, the Greedy Wolves[1]—an infamous special operations unit that had once carried out the dirty work behind the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader. Hellhounds whose path was said to be marked only by corpses and blood.

[Report to the Military Division,] the leader of the Tamrang ordered, a feral grin spreading across his face. [Tell them we’ve found their trail.]

***

In the Military Division of the Third Young Master’s faction:

“Any word from the pursuit team yet?!” Zhuge, the Grand Strategist, shouted.

A strategist, sweating profusely as he sorted through incoming reports, yelled back, “We’ve located the suspected meeting place in the old district!”

“What else?!”

Another strategist, peering at a newly arrived document, answered, “We have a witness report of about a dozen carriages! The team on the ground is tracking their movements now!”

Zhuge clenched the white feather fan in his hand. “We must catch their tail before they vanish completely!”

“Yes, sir!”

As he turned, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The young prodigy of the Zhuge clan, who had long yearned for a worthy opponent, was finally alight with the fires of battle. If we can capture those men and force a confession, not even the Supreme Operations Council will be able to ignore their existence…!

The initial report from the Sixth Department Head—the man in charge of the investigation at the construction site—had been a complete disaster, though how the Grand Young Master had managed it was a mystery.

“How in the world did the Grand Young Master manage to win over a department head from the Court of Judiciary so quickly?” a senior strategist wondered aloud.

Another shook his head. “What I find more suspicious is how readily the Supreme Operations Council accepted that initial report.”

“Don’t tell me…” A third strategist wiped the sweat from his brow. “You don’t think the Grand Young Master has extended his reach into the Supreme Operations Council itself, do you?”

“No, even for him, that’s…”

“You never know. Based on what he’s shown so far—.”

“You there!” Zhuge’s roar cut through their speculative chatter. “Do you have nothing better to do?!”

The senior strategists quickly scattered, returning to their respective duties.

“Yeon So-hyeon…” Zhuge swallowed the rest of his words. I will capture those vigilante scum and prove that you, Yeon So-hyeon, are the one pulling their strings. He shouted to the men in the command room, “What is the status of the Luoyang blockade?!”

“It’s in progress, sir! We are currently coordinating with the Luoyang Central Administration!”

“If we pursue them to the very end and corner them, the Grand Young Master will have no choice but to try and smuggle them out of Luoyang!” A twisted smile curled his lips. “But they will never escape this city.”

***

At the Golden Saucer Hall:

Yeon So-hyeon spoke in a calm tone. “The Third Young Master’s two Grand Strategists are, at this very moment, attempting to seal off Luoyang.” His voice was not loud, but in the dead silent hall, it seemed to reverberate off the walls. “After the blockade is in place, they intend to comb the city to hunt you down.”

One of the vigilantes pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. “…The price for provoking the Sword Clan is harsher than I could have imagined.”

The number one clan under heaven. All they were facing was a single faction within it, yet the pressure was unlike anything they had ever experienced.

As the others nodded in grim agreement, another vigilante raised his hand. “My lord, where did you hear that the Third Young Master’s Military Division would not let us go?”

Yeon So-hyeon’s answer was short. “It was confirmed by one of their key personnel.”

***

At the Military Division of the Luoyang Sword Clan:

“It’s absurd to try and pin the blame for this on our sects!”

“We’re not the ones who messed up!”

Representatives from the sects allied with the Third Young Master had surrounded Sima, the other Grand Strategist, and were shouting at him.

“The Mount Heng Northern School has already taken initial responsibility for the workers’ uprising!”

“This whole incident only happened because the Grand Young Master was pulling the strings from behind the scenes!”

The debate over who was to blame for losing the construction site to Yeon So-hyeon was in full swing.

“And the root cause is that you, the Military Division, failed to properly predict and prepare for his actions!” one of the sect leaders yelled, jabbing a finger at Sima. “Wasn’t the deal that we would handle the front lines while your Military Division secured our rear?!”

At his words, the other sect leaders descended on Sima like a pack of wolves.

“He’s right! This is the Military Division’s fault!”

“Damn right it is!”

Outwardly, Sima maintained a stoic composure, but inwardly, he was grinding his teeth. If we can just capture those vigilantes, we can shift everyone’s focus onto Yeon So-hyeon. Sima glanced discreetly at the wall. Then all of these sect leaders will turn their eyes toward him.

He and Zhuge, the two brains of the Third Young Master’s faction, planned to capture the Spring of Luoyang vigilantes and frame Yeon So-hyeon as their mastermind. It will be easy to shape public opinion. We’ll say the Grand Young Master instigated the workers’ uprising by using the martial artists from the very beginning.

Thinking of Zhuge, who was commanding the operation from beyond that wall, Sima smiled at the angry crowd. “Now, now, everyone, please calm down…”

Amidst the bickering, one man remained silent. What a pathetic display. It was the former Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect. As the first to flee the construction site, he should have been at the forefront of the attack on the Military Division. But with his own weakness now exposed, he kept his mouth shut.

Hmm. So, the Luoyang blockade is imminent? Though he was silent, his habit of working behind the scenes hadn’t vanished. He had been surreptitiously reading the reports delivered to Sima. The amount of classified information he had already passed on to Yeon So-hyeon’s faction was substantial.

He recalled his recent conversation with Yeon So-hyeon’s subordinate.

***

“So, you want me to hand over our side’s most classified intelligence?”

“‘Our side’? Since when did everyone in the Third Young Master’s faction become one big family?”

“We are a family,” the Diancang Sect Leader had snarled. “A family where everyone wants to step on each other to get to the top.” But a family nonetheless. “And you are asking me to betray that family.”

The man before him, who called himself Yeon Ha-eung and was representing the Grand Young Master, was someone whose name he knew. He was part of the Outer Court[2]. “My, what a harsh way to put it. I would prefer to frame it not as a betrayal, but as paving a path for our mutual survival.” The man’s speech was as smooth and polished as one would expect from someone of the Outer Court.

“Cut the diplomatic bullshit, boy,” the old sect leader had snapped. “The Grand Young Master gives me and my Diancang Sect something of value, and I will cooperate to that exact extent. No more, no less.”

Being called a boy didn’t seem to faze Yeon Ha-eung, who was accustomed to being looked down upon by men of power. He simply beamed. “Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together eagerly. “In that case, we will require all the classified intelligence you have gathered on the Third Young Master’s faction.”

“Did you not hear me?” A murderous glint entered the old man’s eyes. “I said I will give as much as I receive.”

“My goodness.” Seeing the old man’s hand inch toward the hilt of his sword, Yeon Ha-eung held up both of his hands in a placating gesture. “That is precisely my point.” Behind his ingratiating smile, his eyes flashed with a cold, sharp light. “The Grand Young Master will henceforth guarantee the lives of you and your entire Diancang Sect.” That gaze was not the look of a boy. “And that, in truth, is the same as gaining everything.”

Yeon Ha-eung’s tongue was as smooth as oil on a hot pan. “What nonsense are you spouting—.”

As the former Sect Leader of Diancang let out a derisive snort, Yeon Ha-eung uttered a single, short phrase.

“The Blood History[3].”

“…”

All expression vanished from the old man’s face.

Yeon Ha-eung’s ingratiating smile returned. “For the record, I know nothing about it. The Grand Young Master simply said that this one phrase would be enough to secure your cooperation.”

“…”

No answer came from the former Sect Leader of Diancang. The old man stared into the empty air, his gaze distant, as if reliving a moment from his past. After a long moment, a heavy sigh escaped him, followed by words that were closer to a lament.

“…So it was true. The Blood History… was the work of the Grand Young Master, acting as the Patriarch’s proxy.”

Yeon So-hyeon’s message had just confirmed a question that had weighed on his heart for years. His premonitions, his suspicions, his deepest fears—that Yeon So-hyeon was behind it all—were true.

“As I said before, I have no knowledge of that term.”

“Of course you don’t. It happened while you were busy being pushed out of the succession for the Yeon family of Kaifeng and whining your way through the city’s brothels.”

This time, it was Yeon Ha-eung who looked as if he’d been struck. “That stings a little.”

“Don’t be absurd.” The man was, after all, the former Sect Leader of Diancang. It was no surprise that he was aware of the past affairs of a mere Outer Court advisor.

“…”

The old sect leader turned to leave. As he walked away, Yeon Ha-eung heard his telepathic message.

[…Tell the Grand Young Master that I will be in his care from now on.]