Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

When the news broke that more than ten people had died, the entire alliance was thrown into chaos.

It wasn't long before they learned that there were more people missing from the night, beyond just those ten. Chaos quickly turned into fear.

The whereabouts of the missing were soon discovered. The number of sentries who had lost their lives that night amounted to thirty.

At this point, words like 'chaos' and 'fear' were insufficient to describe the state of the alliance.

"What on earth is going on here?"

Moyong Wigyeong raised his voice.

"Thirty people! We lost thirty in just one night. Does this even make sense?"

"Please calm down, Moyong gaju-nim."

"How do you expect me to stay calm!"

Moyong Wigyeong's beard quivered in his rage. It was understandable; among those who died last night were members of the Moyong family.

"The number is not what matters."

It was Pungyeong Singae, the former leader of the Beggar Union, who stepped in to calm him.

"What's important is that they were sentries. The ones tasked with keeping watch over the enemy couldn't even blow their whistles before being taken down. This is no trivial matter."

"...It means the enemy is that strong, doesn't it?"

Pungyeong Singae shook his head coldly.

"Even if the enemy commander personally led the attack, killing that many people without making a sound is impossible."

"If there were many attackers…"

Moyong Wigyeong stopped mid-sentence, clamping his mouth shut.

Even with large numbers, it wouldn't make their attack fast enough. It was incomprehensible that none of the sentries could even blow their whistles.

"Hmm."

Groans of frustration leaked out from various people.

But there were still a few who remained relatively calm in the situation. One of them was Zhong Ligok.

"The key issue is distance."

Tang Gunak turned to him, asking for clarification.

"…Distance, you say?"

Zhong Ligok nodded slowly.

"It's obvious, but the fact that none of the sentries blew their whistles means they were all attacked simultaneously."

"...That's true."

"If the enemy weren't a dagger master like you, Tang gaju-nim, then they would've had to get in close to take down this many people in one strike. What does that tell you?"

"Hm."

Maeng So sighed softly.

It meant that the sentries hadn't realized that the enemy was right on top of them. Could something like that really happen?

"It's ridiculous… but if not, there's no other way to explain it."

Everyone silently agreed with Maeng So's muttering.

In the end, to figure out what happened that night, they had to discuss how the enemy had approached the sentries unnoticed.

"Let's put aside speculation about the enemy's combat abilities. Considering the skill of the sentries, it doesn't matter who the enemy was; they shouldn't have been able to get that close without being noticed."

Tang Gunak nodded gravely.

It made sense. He had personally ensured that only the best people were selected to guard against possible intrusions.

"Then what method did they use?"

"Perhaps it was an advanced stealth technique..."

"That's impossible. Even if they specialized in stealth, while they might approach unseen, the nature of martial arts wouldn't allow them to kill thirty people all at once. If anyone could do that, they'd already be famous as the number one assassin in the world."

Zhuge Zain coldly dismissed the possibility.

"Then what about hypnotism?"

"That's also out of the question. I'm not dismissing sorcery, but it requires preparation and time to mesmerize someone. I've never heard of a method that can instantly bewitch sentries, let alone all of them at once."

"Hmm, that's true..."

The more they discussed, the more suffocating the situation felt.

No matter how they thought about it, there was no way to explain how the enemy had massacred the guards.

Tang Gunak, sighing, turned his gaze, then suddenly paused and spoke.

"…What do you think, Nokrim King?"

Im Sobyeong, who had been lazily fanning himself as though none of this concerned him, frowned.

"Are you asking for my opinion?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Hmmm."

Im Sobyeong let out a chuckle.

"I don't think my opinion matters that much."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure you'd understand even if I explained."

Tang Gunak's expression hardened slightly.

Im Sobyeong's flippant attitude was nothing new, but now was not the time for jokes, was it?

Then, in a detached tone, Im Sobyeong spoke again.

"How you're perceiving the situation is wrong to begin with."

"…What?"

This was an unexpected remark. Tang Gunak stared at Im Sobyeong, waiting for an explanation.

But instead of answering him, Im Sobyeong looked around at the others and spoke.

"There are certainly several possibilities. It could be as you said, perhaps the enemy is a master of stealth… or maybe an expert in hypnotism bewitched them all."

"..."

"Oh, maybe it was a dagger master who surpassed even Tang gaju-nim, killing them all from afar. Or perhaps it was a martial arts expert faster than Beggar Union leader, who dashed in and slashed their throats before anyone could react."

"Nokrim King."

The faint amusement in Im Sobyeong's voice was taken as mockery by Zhong Ligok, who spoke coldly.

"Are we to consider that comment as an insult?"

Zhong Ligok's icy stare was directed right at Im Sobyeong. He had always been uncomfortable with the fact that Im Sobyeong was from Evil Sect. Now, feeling ridiculed, he saw no reason to hold back.

An ordinary person might have felt a chill down their spine, but unfortunately, Im Sobyeong was no ordinary man.

"An insult? Me? Surely not. I'm being serious. That could indeed be the case."

Im Sobyeong raised his hands playfully, but Zhong Ligok's frown deepened.

"The part I find ridiculous lies elsewhere. I don't need to mock you over that."

"…What did you say?"

In that moment, the playful look on Im Sobyeong's face disappeared entirely.

"I mean exactly what I said. Masters of hypnotism, geniuses of stealth, masters of hidden weapons, supreme speedsters—anyone capable of such feats would already be renowned across the land."

"And what's wrong with that? Isn't that obvious?"

"Obvious?"

Im Sobyeong's eyes narrowed into a sharp grin.

"Indeed, there are some ways in which the evil sect are better than the righteous ones. If Zhongnan had been an evil sect, someone with such complacency could never have risen to the leader's position."

"You little…"

Just as Zhong Ligok was about to leap to his feet, Namgung Dowi raised his voice.

"So?"

"…"

"I'm a simple man, so I find it hard to understand—what exactly is so strange about that?"

Im Sobyeong looked at Namgung Dowi with a discontented glance, as if his amusing spectacle had been interrupted, and then he smirked.

"Namgung's family really is in trouble."

"Explain yourself."

"Why would an explanation be necessary? If you were Jang Ilso, what orders would you give to someone with such capabilities?"

"…What are you getting at?"

"Would you tell someone like that to spend their time slaughtering mere sentries? Just to frighten them a bit?"

At that question, everyone, including Namgung Dowi, flinched as if they had just realized something.

Indeed, Im Sobyeong was right. The capability of whoever pulled off such an act did not match the results.

There's a difference between something being difficult and something being extraordinary. Silently slaughtering sentries is difficult, but it's hardly an extraordinary feat. When you look at it coldly, it was only thirty men.

"So, you finally understand."

Im Sobyeong waved his fan once more, the movement drawing everyone's attention.

"The important thing isn't how that person managed to do this. The real question is, why would they bother?"

"You're suggesting… there's another motive, then. What are they after?"

"I don't know. We don't have enough information yet."

Tang Gunak bit his lower lip hard.

It wasn't Im Sobyeong's fault. He had done his part well by broadening their understanding.

Nevertheless, Tang Gunak's face hardened because he had a foreboding sense that unless they quickly figured out the enemy's real intentions, something even more difficult to handle might occur.

Perhaps everyone had similar thoughts, as the inside of the tent fell into silence.

"Then… how should we respond?"

Someone asked feebly, and Tang Gunak closed his eyes tightly.

They were in no position to effectively counter an enemy whose intentions and methods were entirely unknown. With the Heavenly Comrade Alliance stretched out across the area surrounding Mount Wudang, their options for action were quite limited.

'If only we could all gather in one place…'

But Tang Gunak knew better than anyone how impossible that was.

"For now, we should increase the number of sentries."

"Will that be enough…"

Zhong Ligok, who was about to say something, shook his head instead.

It wasn't his place to act, and even if it were, no better countermeasures had come to mind.

"Fortunately, they've stopped attacking civilians."

"…"

"If we respond too hastily, those attacks will resume."

"Hmm."

"The damage isn't that extensive yet, so let's keep a close watch for now. But we must prevent any further losses."

The attendees nodded, though their faces showed a mix of barely hidden anxiety and dissatisfaction.

Tang Gunak quietly let out a short sigh.

'This is difficult.'

He was becoming painfully aware that his abilities and reputation alone were not enough to lead so many people.

'For now… my role is to prevent anything bigger from happening.'

Whatever the enemy's ultimate goal might be, he would not allow them to achieve it easily.

❀ ❀ ❀

"Hyung-nim."

"…"

"Hyung-nim…"

"Shut up and keep your eyes on guard."

"…Yes."

Tang Gu, his expression slightly deflated, turned his gaze forward once again.

But all he could see was a wide-open field with nothing worth guarding. With the keen eyesight of the Tang family, even the smallest insect movement hundreds of feet away wouldn't escape their notice. Having them guard such a wide, empty field was practically torture.

"Hyung-nim."

"You…"

Just as the voice started to rise again, Tang Gu quickly spoke up, cutting him off.

"What do you think happened yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?"

The question must have piqued the interest of his superior, or perhaps even he was tired of the dull watch. Instead of shouting, he responded. Tang Gu, emboldened, asked excitedly.

"You heard about it too, didn't you hyung-nim? How the situation doesn't make any sense?"

"Which is exactly why we need to be more vigilant."

"But the men who were on guard yesterday wouldn't have been careless either, right? Especially with the evil sect potentially attacking any moment."

"…What are you trying to say?"

"What if… really, what if…"

"Huh?"

"The problem wasn't a failure in their vigilance, but that there was nothing to guard against?"

"What do you mean?"

"If it had been the enemy, of course, they would've been on high alert. But if it wasn't the enemy, there would've been nothing to guard against. For example…"

"Are you suggesting this was an inside job?"

"An inside job? With so many outsiders flooding into the alliance, how long have they all been considered insiders anyway?"

"…"

"Frankly, I've been suspicious for a while."

"Suspicious of who?"

"Zhuge and Moyong families, of course. Does it make any sense that they weren't able to participate in the war because they were blocked by unidentified enemies? We still haven't even seen who those attackers were."

"Enough."

"No, What I mean is…"

It was that moment.

"Rats hear what is said at night, and birds hear what is said during the day."

The startled guards quickly spun around at the sudden voice behind them. The look of relief mixed with embarrassment appeared on their faces when they saw who had spoken.

"I…. greet the head of the family."

Tang Gunak was approaching them slowly.

"I thought I told you to remain vigilant?"

"We apologize…"

"We have no excuses, gaju-nim."

The Tang family members' faces darkened with shame.

It had been Tang Gunak himself who had ordered them to guard the area vigilantly. Now, not only had they failed to do so, but they were also caught by the very person who had given the command. They couldn't help but feel the sting of embarrassment.

Tang Gunak approached them, his gaze cold. Unable to meet his eyes, the men lowered their heads.

"What's the situation?"

"…There's nothing wrong."

"All trouble starts with words."

"We were foolish. Please forgive us."

"Forgiveness is not what matters here."

"We are truly sorr…"

Tang Gu's apology suddenly trailed off as his face stiffened.

'What's this?'

A strange feeling gripped him. An unexplainable sense of unease washed over him.

"The issue is that you disobeyed my orders."

"Gaju-…"

Tang Gu glanced up slowly, and his expression immediately changed.

"You…! You're not Gaju-nim…!"

Slash!

A deadly line cut through the air, slashing their throats in a single stroke.

Tang Gunak smiled at them, but it was a wicked smile—the kind the real Tang Gunak would never have worn.

"That's why I told you to stay vigilant. Tsk tsk."

Thud. Thud.

The men, their throats severed, collapsed to the ground.

In their final moments, they realized the person before them wasn't Tang Gunak, but whether that was any comfort to them in their last breath was a mystery.

After glancing at the fallen men as if they were mere insects, the man who had copied Tang Gunak's appearance, the "Thousand Faces Manipulator," twisted his face grotesquely.

"It's going to be a long night."

His figure vanished like a mirage.

Only the cold corpses, lying in a wide-open field, remained as the frozen scent of blood filled the air.