At that moment, in a separate room of Cheonhyangru, another renowned tavern in Hangju, two middle-aged men were drinking sake with several gisaeng.
They were Noyujung, the head of Baekryonghoe, and Sangbaek, the master of Manhwa Martial Arts Hall, a small martial arts school operating in the southern district of Hangju under Noyujung’s supervision.
In fact, Manhwa Martial Arts Hall had been able to open in Hangju only because Baekryonghoe had given their tacit approval over ten years ago.
And the secret between the two was that Manhwa Martial Arts Hall had promised to lend a portion of their martial path warriors to Baekryonghoe whenever requested.
Only the two of them knew that they were sworn brothers in all but blood.
“Step outside for a moment,” Noyujung gestured to the gisaeng.
“Yes, Master,” the gisaeng answered before leaving the room.
Raising his cup, Noyujung nodded to Sangbaek.
“Sang Master, I’m truly grateful for your help this time. It was indispensable.”
Sangbaek shook his head humbly.
“You flatter me, Master. It was nothing at all…”
“Nonsense… It’s the kind of favor I might never be able to repay fully.”
Sangbaek laughed heartily.
“Ha ha ha. Is that so?”
Noyujung set down his cup and spoke with a serious expression.
“This favor is because of my son—Demonic Sect’s own Dokgwigum Mak Bi.”
Sangbaek pondered for a moment before responding.
“Still, I worry that this might be the excuse for the other factions to band together.”
Noyujung sighed, nodding.
“That’s what’s troubling me as well. But having an ally like Mak Bi is a tremendous stroke of luck. Mak Bi isn’t a martial artist you can just buy with money. That’s why, right now, with Mak Bi under my control, this might be our opportunity.”
“But if they unite, will even Mak Bi be enough?”
“If you assist, it could be possible.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“When the time comes, I will ask a favor of you, Sang Master. Just follow my instructions precisely. If everything goes as planned, we will dominate the Night of Hangzhou completely. We will rewrite the history of Hangju in a way no one has ever done before. So keep about eighty guards ready to move at any time after this moment.”
“I have trusted you all these ten years, Brother, then and now.”
“I appreciate your faith, my younger brother. Soon, Hangju will fall into your and my hands.”
“Just thinking about it makes me happy.”
Raising his cup, Noyujung asked, “By the way, how did you come into contact with such a rare figure?”
Sangbaek smiled as he replied.
“Oh! It’s nothing special. When I was young and wandering the world, I once received help from a senior. That senior happened to visit Hangju recently by chance. While talking, he mentioned he was looking for skilled ronin, so he introduced me immediately. Apparently, he has some decent connections in the ronin circles.”
“Younger brother, how about asking that senior for one more favor?”
“Is there someone you have in mind?”
“Someone around the level of Gyunhonsu Jo Yang would be perfect, but it doesn’t have to be Jo Yang specifically.”
“Understood. I’ll see if I can arrange a meeting.”
Noyujung smiled with satisfaction, raising his cup.
“You really are bold, little brother. If we could recruit just one more martial artist of Gyunhonsu’s caliber, our plan would be sure to succeed. Ha ha ha!”
Sangbaek lifted his cup as well.
“I am glad to assist you, Brother. Please accept this toast.”
Thus, the two men’s drinking party continued pleasantly with laughter.
***
In a quiet mountainside shrine dedicated to the Gwan in southern Hangju, darkness settled over the sky.
From deep within the dilapidated shrine, a high and delicate voice echoed—like that of a woman.
Yet, the voice did not belong to a woman.
“Report.”
“Yes, Master. The Amyoungdae have infiltrated all the strongholds in the city.”
“And what of Dokgwigum Mak Bi?”
“He has penetrated without suspicion and is currently on standby. Once the operation begins, things will proceed naturally.”
“The core of this operation is Hangju. If anything goes wrong, I’ll pay with my life.”
“Understood!”
With a sharp and firm response, the subordinate bowed and disappeared into the shadows as if melting away.
The remaining man slowly revealed himself under the moonlight.
His figure was slender and delicate enough to seem almost feminine in the pale light.
With long fingers, he swept back the strands of hair falling over his face.
His unusually pale complexion and delicate features were accented by sharply upturned eyes, giving off a distinctive impression.
His long hair was neatly tied in a single braid at the back as he whispered softly, following the vanished subordinate’s figure.
“This war, left unfinished thirty years ago, I will end with vengeance this time.”
However, from an unexpected quarter, their plan had already begun to unravel.
“Is Sundeok heading there now?”
“Yes, sir. See you this evening.”
“All right, good work. See you later.”
***
After bidding farewell, a girl appearing around thirteen or fourteen quietly exited through the back door of Cheonhyangru and disappeared toward northern Hangju.
Diligently walking, Sundeok passed through the city center and made her way to the slums of Hangju.
This area was not only a poor district but also the stronghold of Cheonrangpa, one of the four powers ruling the night in Hangju.
Hangju had long been a city with many orphans.
This was hardly surprising, as it was hard to find a place more favorable for orphans to survive than Hangju.
A city filled with entertainment venues, wealthy travelers drawn to the pleasures they offered, and the countless gisaeng who attended to them—such an environment naturally led to the birth of orphans.
Some of these orphans had come from surrounding regions seeking survival, but many were children born to gisaeng in Hangju and subsequently abandoned.
Survival was the orphans’ utmost priority, but they did not know how to cooperate.
Ultimately, their greatest enemy was each other.
Countless orphans perished in this harsh competition.
But through many deaths, the orphans finally found a path to survival: Cheonrangpa.
Cheonrangpa was said to have been formed by orphans of Hangju.
Any orphan who wished could join Cheonrangpa, and once inside, there was no longer any reason to fight one another.
That was both the first and the only reason to join Cheonrangpa.
However, joining came with strict rules.
Breaking any one of those rules meant certain death.
Members must obey unconditionally the orders of Cheonrang, the leader of Cheonrangpa.
They must work without exception and surrender half of their earnings to the faction.
The money collected was used to support the young orphans.
Entering the slums, Sundeok naturally walked along winding paths to a house relatively spacious for the area, with a courtyard.
“Sir, it’s Sundeok.”
The door to the main building opened, and a sturdy man looked outside.
He was Kang Bulhae, leader of Cheonrangpa.
Sundeok handed Kang Bulhae a neatly folded piece of paper.
“Luju, a message!”
“Thank you. How is Luju these days?”
“She’s fine, as long as I don’t get scolded… hoho.”
Luju Nanseol was a benefactor who donated generously every year to orphans and also served as an informant who relayed happenings in Hangju’s gisaeng houses to Cheonrangpa.
Kang Bulhae received the note from Sundeok and gently patted her head.
“Have some breakfast before you go.”
“No, I’ll hurry and eat with my brother. Goodbye!”
“All right, take care.”
Shortly after, Kang Bulhae hastily tied a red cloth to a two-zhang tall bamboo pole and set it up in a corner of the courtyard.
Before an hour passed, his spacious yard was filled with young men.
They were all Cheonrangpa members over eighteen years old.
Their number was about three hundred.
“Reliable information suggests Baekryonghoe is planning a war in alliance with Manhwa Martial Arts Hall. Everyone stay alert, and immediately report any news related to Baekryonghoe to me. If an assembly order is issued, gather without delay. Dismissed!”
‘I must inform Heukcheonhoe and Hyeolsapa as well.’
Kang Bulhae sent men to alert Heukcheonhoe and Hyeolsapa.
Tension in Hangju was steadily rising.
Amyoungho had no memories from childhood.
***
The only vague memory left was that in order to survive, he had to obey any orders given.
Children who failed their tasks were dragged away somewhere and never returned.
The Demonic Sect gathered children from outside, confining them together and putting them through survival training.
Those who survived, especially the ones with strong bones and muscles, were selected first.
After various experiments and tests, the children were sorted into several grades, with the top tier sent to Amyoungdae.
Amyoungdae pushed the chosen children through brutal training.
Nearly half of them died or were crippled during training, and only the survivors earned the right to receive proper education as Amyoungdae operatives.
Amyoungdae’s martial arts were specialized for infiltration and assassination missions.
Each member trained in one internal skill, one sword technique, and one footwork technique.
First, they learned Jamyongshimgong, an internal skill characterized by extreme stealth and persistence.
It leaves no trace of internal energy training externally, and even when seriously injured with a broken dantian, the energy inside can be maintained for up to a week.
Though it is a demonic technique, it does not reveal demonic energy unless pushed beyond one’s limits or if a specific curse is triggered, which causes loss of reason.
For swordsmanship, they mastered Amyoungsingeomgyeol.
This assassination-focused sword style uses a dagger and, at the tenth level, is said to be able to strike down even a god in darkness.
Finally, for footwork, they learned Mayeonggwisinbo, a stealthy and ghost-like movement skill also usable in lightness skill.
Once these skills were mastered to a certain degree, the trainee received a number and was deployed for missions.
Except for the leader, all Amyoungdae members were identified only by numbers, which indicated their rank.
If a higher-ranking member died, the lower rank would be promoted to fill the vacancy.
But increasing one’s number did not grant recognition or special privileges.
For Amyoungdae members, their number was merely a measure of how long they had survived.
Amyoungsipho’s first number was 129.
It took him twelve years to rise from 129 to 10, which also reflected that more than ten members died or disappeared annually in Amyoungdae.
During those twelve years, Amyoungsipho participated in about thirty operations.
Sometimes alone, other times with roughly ten comrades.
This mission was to infiltrate Baekryonghoe, one of Hangju’s underworld factions, and help Baekryonghoe unify the criminal powers in Hangju.
Of course, from an outsider’s perspective, any assistance had to remain hidden.
For this operation, Dokgwigum Mak Bi, who was embedded within the ronin circles, was also mobilized.
That itself was proof of the mission’s importance.
But on the other hand, it also meant that with Mak Bi’s overwhelming force deployed, Amyoungsipho only had to ensure the operation began smoothly.