A tea house stood in front of the Council of Elders. The Elders of the Yeon Clan were grilling a man, as if they were spitting fire.

“So, what in the world is happening?!” one elder exclaimed.

“And what was that business with the Central Inspectorate storming the Council of Elders?!” another interjected.

“Why did some of the key faction leaders slip out before it was even over?!” a third elder demanded.

Under the thunderous interrogation of the Yeon Clan elders, the informant who had brought news from inside the council hesitated, glancing nervously around.

“Well… that is…” he stammered. “…It seems things are resolving in the Grand Young Master’s favor.”

“What?! What does that mean?!” the first elder exclaimed.

“How exactly are things unfolding?!” the second elder demanded.

Not a single piece of good news had reached them; only a steady stream of bad omens. As time ticked by, the complexions of the Yeon Clan elders grew ashen and deathly.

“….”

Just then, one of the elders, who had been anxiously observing the Council of Elders from the window, abruptly rose from his seat.

“Th-That… is that…?!”

Forgetting all sense of dignity, the Yeon Clan elders rushed to the window. What they witnessed at the entrance of the Council of Elders left them in shock.

“Why is he… why is he being dragged out like that…?!”

The Treasury Vice Director, being escorted out by agents of the Central Inspectorate in their ominous red uniforms, was none other than the Treasury Vice Director. His lifeless eyes, resembling a rotting fish washed ashore, and his completely collapsed legs made him appear as if he were a dead man walking.

“No. If he is being taken away like that…”

Trembling, a Yeon Clan elder whose face had lost all color spoke, “Then instead of ousting the current Treasury Director… does this mean we are the ones who have been struck down…?”

Why had they attempted to install the Treasury Vice Director as the Treasury Director in the first place?

“Oh, my!” With a playful tone, someone suddenly appeared, casually leaning against the railing near the window. “I see the esteemed elders of the Yeon Clan have gathered here.” With his red robes fluttering and a mischievous smile on his gentle-looking face, it was Hwa Bok, the right-hand man of the Head of the Central Inspectorate.

“My goodness! We called for you so many times, requesting your cooperation as witnesses,” he said, sounding genuinely hurt. “You all claimed to be incredibly busy and refused our requests, yet here you all are, leisurely gathering at a tea house at this hour?”

Hwa Bok’s sarcasm dripped thick. “Is there some kind of… clan event going on?”

Normally, they would have shouted him down immediately. However, under Hwa Bok’s slow, sweeping gaze, as if licking them, the Yeon Clan elders were rendered speechless.

They were like rats before a cat.

“Since meeting you face-to-face is difficult, and visiting each of you to deliver the news would have been inconvenient… this actually worked out perfectly,” Hwa Bok’s quiet chuckling echoed in the silent space. But all the Yeon Clan elders could clearly see that there was no humor in Hwa Bok’s smiling eyes.

“Now that your last lifeline has been cut…”

They could even see a flash of something terrifying pass through his gaze.

“Resist with all your might.”

The man whose duty was inspection, but who hadn’t been able to conduct a proper inspection for so long, spoke.

“Stake your paltry lives on it. Drag in everything you possibly can and resist.”

At those impossibly arrogant words…

“You bastard…!” The faces of the Yeon Clan elders, who had been holding back until now, instantly hardened. “Just because we let you talk…”

“How dare a mere inspector…!”

“Do you think just because we’re in this situation, we can’t do anything to you?!”

Killing intent that made one’s hair stand on end filled the room.

Ordinarily, even the audacious Hwa Bok would have been spooked enough to leave.

But…

“Those words just now represent the will of the Central Inspectorate, but…”

Today, he was different.

“They are also the exact words the Grand Young Master of the Main Clan commanded me to convey to you personally.”

And they were, the very same words Yeon So-hyeon had spoken to the Treasury Vice Director.

“…”

The Yeon Clan elders, who had been poised to attack Hwa Bok, froze in their tracks.

“By any chance…” Hwa Bok sneered openly, standing there like a statue. “I wouldn’t expect the Court of Judiciary to cooperate with you this time, if I were you.”

An elderly Yeon Clan member, who had been observing the situation from the back with a displeased expression, spoke up. “…The Court of Judiciary. Did the Head of the Court of Judiciary collaborate with the Grand Young Master?”

At the direct question, Hwa Bok shrugged. “I don’t think there’s enough loyalty between you and me for me to answer that.” He wondered what expressions they would make if they knew the Head of the Court of Judiciary had fallen from grace and a new Head of the Court of Judiciary was about to take office.

Hwa Bok’s mouth twitched with the urge to say it, but he held back.

“Well then, by all means. We look forward to your smooth cooperation with the upcoming mandatory summons.”

With a grin, he leaped lightly from the railing.

And just like that, Hwa Bok vanished.

Stake your lives. Drag in everything you can and resist.

It wasn’t just a message from any ordinary inspector. It was a message from that Grand Young Master. The atmosphere grew heavier than ever before, as if to break the oppressive silence. The sound of a chair scraping against the floor echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s gaze.

“…Elder.”

The old man, who stood receiving the gazes of his bloodline while being supported as he rose, stood silently for a moment, struggling to find the words. Finally, he spoke, his voice like a sigh.

“…It is a demonic obstruction. A true demonic obstruction.”

Demonic Obstruction. The work of ghosts or demons; a hindrance caused by evil spirits. How else could they describe their current situation?

Since that Grand Young Master had moved personally, I knew he would have something hidden up his sleeve… but…

To think everything would be overturned in a single move like this. They had never even imagined it. How could they accept this situation as anything other than the mischievous antics of a ghost?

“…Or perhaps, that Grand Young Master is the ghost.”

Now, at this moment, they finally understood why the Great Supreme Retired Patriarch had hidden his eldest son so deeply and protected him so fiercely.

“Elder…”

As he was helped down the stairs, the old man spoke. “Everyone. From this moment on, each of you… seek your own path to survival.” His tone was heavier than it had ever been.

***

Meanwhile, at the Council of Elders Grand Assembly Hall, countless elders of the Great Luoyang Sword Clan gathered. These men were renowned for their eloquent speeches, capable of flowing effortlessly from their mouths. However, the atmosphere was tense as they awaited the announcement.

“Are you saying… all of them belong to the Grand Young Master’s faction?” one elder exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Thirty percent,” another elder replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

“So, they were the thirty percent who cast invalid votes in the first round,” the first elder continued, his mind racing with the implications.

Even among the elders, no one dared to voice their thoughts openly. The revelation was too shocking to comprehend.

“Does this mean the worst-case scenario we tried to prepare for has already unfolded?” a core elder pressed a hand to his forehead, his desperation evident in his expression.

Now that the Grand Young Master’s faction had been exposed so openly, it was no different from its official launch.

The elders were left grappling with the consequences of their actions and the uncertainty that lay ahead.

“…When on earth did the Grand Young Master make contact with so many of them?”

“Didn’t everyone, us included, thoroughly monitor the Grand Young Master’s side?”

“The Grand Young Master had no opportunity to contact them after arriving at the Council of Elders…!”

“Then how…?”

No one could deduce a clear answer; everyone was filled only with questions.

“Do you all still not see it?”

The core elder who had lamented earlier clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Those individuals weren’t recruited today in this Council of Elders.”

“If not today, then…?!”

The surrounding elders’ eyes widened at his words.

“Yes,” the core elder nodded and continued, “during the period when votes were being gathered to oust the current Treasury Director and appoint a new one.”

In the Council of Elders, the results are decided before the vote. And “before the vote” naturally refers not only to the day of the vote itself.

“Are you saying that during that time, the Grand Young Master was also secretly contacting them beneath the surface?”

Secret agreements between elders had taken place below the surface. But even deeper beneath that, the Grand Young Master had been moving.

“…I’m not familiar with the specific methods. However, at the very least, I can now comprehend the reasons behind those peculiar events that transpired today. The sheer number of invalid votes and the subsequent re-votes… I’ve finally grasped the underlying cause.”

The elders exchanged dry glances and turned their heads to follow his gaze.

The thirty percent gathered there, comprising the Grand Young Master’s faction. Despite the stares directed at them, they continued to exchange greetings and pleasantries, as if their faces were covered in iron plates.

“At first, I didn’t understand why the Grand Young Master said I would know if I cast an invalid vote…!”

“When the invalid votes reached a staggering thirty percent and a re-vote was declared, I couldn’t help but be amazed…!”

The elders gathered around Grand Young Master Yeon So-hyeon were clamoring to speak.

Yeon So-hyeon spoke as if it were nothing, as usual, saying, “It wasn’t that difficult of a task.” But no one gathered here, not even his political enemies. “I merely breathed a little courage into you all,” he continued.

“No, Grand Young Master.” Shaking his head at Yeon So-hyeon’s words, the new elder whom Yeon So-hyeon had patted on the shoulder stepped forward. “To us, who couldn’t even dream of such a thing, let alone muster the courage… You simply asked us to cast an invalid vote.”

As he spoke up, other elders chimed in, “And simply by casting an invalid vote…” The result was a re-vote due to a significant thirty percent of invalid ballots. “We were able to clearly confirm that many comrades shared our will…!”

Yeon So-hyeon had only asked them to cast an invalid vote. They were able to confirm each other’s existence in a simple and burden-free manner.

“And at the same time, we could clearly feel the influence of the Grand Young Master who gathered so many people!”

Because that number was verifiable by everyone. The Grand Young Master’s own ability and skill were also proven.

“And yet, no one dared to notice…”

“That this process was the real-time formation of our faction!”

Everyone had thought the massive number of invalid votes was an intermediate process of the Grand Young Master persuading specific cliques and factions. No, they had to think that way. That was why the Grand Young Master’s political enemies, under the illusion that it wasn’t too late, had made futile efforts to reclaim the votes.

“And when thirty percent of invalid votes were gathered like that…”

“The ten percent of personnel the Grand Young Master had secured through ‘political deals’ saw a chance of victory.”

“And in the subsequent re-vote, they added another ten percent of invalid votes.”

At those words, Yeon So-hyeon turned his head. He waved his hand at the hostile elders who were watching them. Most of them looked displeased, turned their heads away, or even snorted. But among them, surely, there was one. Although they hadn’t joined the faction. Hidden among them was the ten percent who had made political deals with Yeon So-hyeon in this affair.

“And…”

“With those invalid votes reaching forty percent…”

“Plus the arrest of the Treasury Vice Director, it became the de facto wedge!”

As soon as the word “wedge” was uttered, Elder Hwang Mok, who had received the slip containing the voting results, commenced the announcement. “The outcome of the third vote on the no-confidence motion against the Director of the Sword Clan Treasury is as follows: Twenty votes in favor of no-confidence, ten invalid votes, and eighty votes against. Therefore…”

Recognizing the impending defeat, most of the elders opted to conclude this moment swiftly. “Therefore, the no-confidence motion against the Treasury Director has been finally rejected!”

The Head of the Council of Elders then declared the meeting closed. In that instant, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the Grand Young Master’s faction.

“Yes!”

“We won!”

The victory of a political adversary was a bitter pill to swallow. And if that victory stemmed from their own defeat, it was enough to twist their insides.

“Dammit.”

Leaving the cheers behind, the elders spat curses as they rose from their seats one by one.

“Let’s prepare countermeasures immediately.”

“Immediate action is needed.”

“I will inform Elder Namgung, who left earlier, at once.”

The light and shadow of the winner and the loser were clearly divided.

Amidst the intense atmosphere of the closing ceremony,

“So-hyeon.”

For some, the announcement of the result meant more than just a single defeat.

“Yeon So-hyeon, you bastard—!”

With a grotesque scream, the moment a terrifying pressure, clearly caused by internal energy, erupted. One of the corrupt Yeon Clan elders, his eyes rolling back in his head, scattered killing intent and madness in streaks, charged at Yeon So-hyeon.

“DIEEEEEEE!”