Kwak Yeon replied vaguely.
“Just... I have a feeling something good—something heaven-ordained—is going to happen.”
“You damned cave-dwelling Daoist bastard, what kind of crap are you pulling now?”
Chwi Dugae was about to blurt it out when he caught sight of the yellow fur still clinging to the bone in his hand.
“Wait, isn’t this kind of similar to that time...?”
He suddenly recalled the memory of being forced to eat yellow dog meat by his master—and becoming his disciple as a result.
Why was that memory surfacing now?
“No way... That brat’s clearly from the Hao Clan. Yeah. I’m just overthinking it. She probably just felt sorry for drugging me and went through the trouble of preparing this meat.”
Chwi Dugae scolded himself for being too sensitive and tore off another piece of meat from the bone.
Maybe because it had cooled, it didn’t taste nearly as good.
“Damn it, even the flavor’s gone to hell.”
Kwak Yeon stood at the prow, watching the current split before the keel.
The ripples parted cleanly along the ship’s frame—but his mind was far from at ease.
He still couldn’t make sense of the technique that the Sub-Branch Leader had used.
“What are you brooding over so deeply?”
Chwi Dugae came up beside him and asked.
He had shed his beggar’s rags and was now dressed neatly.
“Rear Beggar, you look like a different person.”
“Don’t tease me. I already feel awkward enough as it is.”
Chwi Dugae furrowed his brow deeply and went on.
“Damn it. Taking a bath on a clear day with no rain—if my master finds out, he’ll say I’m at death’s door.”
Kwak Yeon smiled faintly.
“No matter how beggarly one lives, bathing only once every three months feels excessive, doesn’t it?”
“That’s just the etiquette of the wretched. Just like cleanliness is the etiquette of the talisman-selling Daoists.”
“We have to lower ourselves to the dust if we want to pry open those stingy coin pouches, so what choice do we have?”
“Anyway, aside from my master, you’re the first person to make me work . Hah, carrying burdens—what a fate.”
“Then why don’t you boldly carry all eight knotted pouches on your back?”
“Hell no. If I show up at a Hao Clan event dressed like that, my master will try to kill me. Honestly, I’m not even sure this outfit’s appropriate.”
“Still, you’re carrying out a task assigned by the Dragon-Head of the Greatest Guild Under Heaven, aren’t you?”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m putting up with all this. But if we come out of this empty-handed... you’d better swim all the way back, like you promised.”
At Chwi Dugae’s veiled threat, Kwak Yeon just gave him a faint smile.
“The Sub-Branch Leader will appear. He wouldn’t just sit back and let ashes fall on a finished meal.”
“I’m putting my faith in that... But ever since we passed Aknyang Pier, we’ve been tailed by another boat.”
Kwak Yeon gave a small nod.
“The look in their eyes wasn’t normal. There were a lot of them, too. Who knows, Gunsan Island might really be a dragon’s lair.”
“Didn’t we come precisely because we already knew that?”
“I didn’t think it’d be this bad. Leaving the Taegu Staff behind has been nagging at me.”
“Just grab any club and use that.”
“Hey, don’t disrespect the Taegu Staff. I’ll make sure you get a proper taste of it someday.”
“I look forward to it. By the way—have you secured the gift safely?”
“I made sure it’ll stay asleep until we unwrap it. Thanks to that brat’s Thousand-Day Dream.”
“Anyway, what were you thinking about just now?”
“I was pondering the Sub-Branch Leader’s technique. A martial art that kills cleanly, without leaving a single mark—I can’t think of any that fit.”
“I racked my brain too, but couldn’t figure it out. Energy Extraction Techniques only drain internal qi. If it were one of the Devouring Techniques, the organs would rupture and bruises would appear all over the body—someone would’ve noticed. Poison’s out of the question to begin with. Just where the hell did he learn such a technique?”
“I think... he extracted the Primordial Vital Qi.”
“Huh? Primordial Vital Qi?”
Chwi Dugae looked at him in disbelief.
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? Sure, it exists—but you can’t control it. You know that, right?”
“I do... I’ve always heard the same...”
Kwak Yeon trailed off.
Because he had seen one exception—and because he himself had once received an infusion of Primordial Vital Qi.
“That death doesn’t make sense otherwise.”
The death of the previous Hao Clan Leader was nearly identical to the death of Master Elder Jang Noya.
Kwak Yeon was growing ever more certain it was all tied to the fraud sweeping across the martial world.
It was the reason they had to capture the Sub-Branch Leader.
He was surely the key that would unravel it all.
And he might also be the only way to find the Grandmaster Patriarch, whose whereabouts remained unknown. After all, the Grandmaster had descended from the mountain to pursue something related to this.
“There, I see Gunsan Island.”
The silhouette of the mountains in Gunsan was now visible.
“Damn it. Time to play porter again. The damn thing I’m carrying is so heavy it’s breaking my back.”
The ship that had been tailing them was now gone.
It must’ve steered toward another secret disembarkation point instead of the pier.
At the Gunsan Island dock, a group of martial artists with grim auras stood guard.
They had been dispatched by the Hao Clan’s Senior Elder presiding over the Council of Elders.
One martial artist who recognized Jo Cheon-yang greeted him with a bow.
“Elder Jo, you’ve arrived just in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) time.”
“Good to see you, Chief of the Cheongsu Unit. Your Cheongsu Unit has done a fine job again this time.”
“It's nothing—just our usual task. But I see you’ve brought a rather large group.”
“This fellow is a newly hired escort. As for Gwaa, you’ve seen her before, so you know. And over there, that bearer is carrying the gift I’ve prepared for the council meeting.”
The Cheongsu Chief gave Kwak Yeon a sharp once-over.
“He looks awfully young for an escort.”
“He may look youthful, but he’s an exceptional swordsman. That’s why I hired him—so be cautious.”
“If Elder Jo vouches for him, who are we to argue? However, that bearer—he violates the headcount regulations. If you hand the gift over to us, we’ll have it sent up separately.”
“No. The gift is extremely fragile. Only that bearer can handle it.”
“Still, there is a strict limit on how many may enter...”
“Just say he’s Gwaa’s escort. As the successor to the former Clan Leader, she’s entitled to attend the Council of Elders—so it doesn’t violate the rules.”
The Cheongsu Unit Chief wore a resigned expression as he replied,
“In that case, there’s no reason to stop you. Elder Jo, I hope you’ll understand. The Cheongsu Unit is responsible for ensuring the security of the Council of Elders.”
“Well said. Without your presence, the Hao Clan would not stand whole.”
“Thank you for recognizing that.”
“Have you noticed any suspicious figures?”
“Suspicious figures? Who would concern themselves with a Hao Clan elders’ meeting?”
They could only hope nothing unusual happened—but they both knew better.
They had no choice but to trust that the Cheongsu Unit had not been bought off.
Baekyang Hermitage, nestled halfway up the mountain of Gunsan Island, was accessible only by a steep stairway path.
Partway up, Kwak Yeon paused to take in the view and understood why martial world elites chose this island for their meetings.
Dongting Lake stretched endlessly in all directions, making it feel like an island lost in the middle of a great sea.
There could be no better place to speak freely, bury secrets, and walk away clean.
Moreover, its remote location and clear purpose made it difficult to reach without firm intent—shielding it from the world’s gaze.
In any case, today on Gunsan Island, yet another martial faction was attempting to bury its own ugly secret.
At last, they came upon the Baengno Hermitage, clinging like a bird’s nest to the edge of a vertical cliff.
There was no other way in or out save the narrow, steep stairway—making it a perfect trap, should one be needed.
To Kwak Yeon, that quality was a virtue, not a flaw.
At the foot of the stairway beneath Baekyang Hermitage’s gate stood an elderly man with snow-white hair, waiting to greet them.
Jo Cheon-yang bowed respectfully to Chae An-won, the Senior Elder of the Hao Clan.
“Senior Elder, it has been too long.”
Jo Cheon-yang’s heart ached. He knew that the Senior Elder had aligned himself with the Sub-Branch Leader.
Once, the two had roamed the martial world side by side, earning the joint epithet: “Two Oddities of the Jianghu.”
“The scenery is lovely.”
Jo Cheon-yang made a hollow remark to mask his bitterness.
Senior Elder Chae An-won nodded calmly.
“During a boat tour of Dongting Lake long ago, I stumbled upon this place and thought it would be fitting for a future gathering. And now, it was Elder Jo who convened the council, was it not?”
As Jo Cheon-yang said nothing, the Senior Elder gave a bitter smile and changed the subject.
“I asked the head monk of Baekyang Hermitage to lend us the location.”
Though he said “asked,” it was likely that the head monk and other monks were semi-confined somewhere in the temple’s corner.
Senior Elder Chae An-won turned to Kwak Yeon.
“During the council, escorts are not permitted to speak.”
“I’ve been informed by Elder Jo.”
The Senior Elder’s gaze shifted to Chwi Dugae, who was carrying the wooden chest.
“Elder Jo, and what is that crate the bearer is carrying?”
“It contains the reason why I summoned this council. Once he delivers it inside, the bearer will leave.”
Since the crate would be left behind, it posed no issue.
The Senior Elder turned last to Gwaa.
“I heard you’ve been through much.”
“It wasn’t hard at all—Grandfather Jo was with me.”
“Then I’m glad to hear that.”
The Senior Elder’s expression as he looked at Gwaa was complicated.
“In any case, let’s go in. The others are waiting.”
The Senior Elder climbed the stairs and opened the main gate—Baekyang Hermitage’s only entrance.
At the base of the stairs was a small open courtyard. But beyond the first turn in the winding staircase, one side became a thousand-foot drop, and the other a sheer cliff wall.
After climbing dozens of steps and opening the gate, they entered a narrow courtyard, where square tables had been arranged in the center.
Around them sat the elders of the Hao Clan.
Behind each elder stood a single escort in silence.
At the far end of the courtyard stood a large hall—the size of a Daeungjeon—and to the left and right, two smaller shrine-like buildings formed the rest of the hermitage.
As the elders rose to greet Elder Jo, Kwak Yeon focused all five senses on the three buildings.
As expected, faint signs of presence and internal energy could be detected.
Chwi Dugae, still disguised as a porter, seemed to notice it too and gave Kwak Yeon a meaningful look.
Then the Senior Elder called out to Chwi Dugae.
“You there—the bearer. Come forward.”
Senior Elder Chae An-won gestured for Chwi Dugae to set the crate beside the table and handed him a silver coin.
“Thank you. You may go now.”
Chwi Dugae was effectively chased out and had no choice but to descend the stairs and exit through the main gate of Baekyang Hermitage.
Once the gate was closed and the Senior Elder returned, he addressed the gathered elders.
“I thank you all for your effort in attending this sudden gathering.”
When silence fell across the room, he continued.
“As this is an emergency council, let us dispense with formalities and proceed to the main issue. We’ll begin with Elder Jo’s proposal, since he requested this meeting.”
All eyes turned to Elder Jo Cheon-yang.
He rose from his seat and spoke.
“I summoned you all on short notice today because the fate of the Hao Clan hangs in the balance.”
The mood across the council instantly stiffened.