Chapter 63: Searching for Traces (4)

Cho Un-hwi went to see Dokgo Yul first thing in the morning, only to be met with an unexpected question.

“My lord, what happened yesterday?”

“Uh, how did you know something happened?”

“The Murim Alliance Leader himself came looking for you.”

Dokgo Yul’s explanation helped Cho Un-hwi piece together the situation.

‘So the one beyond the Green Wall Tower was the Murim Alliance Leader.’

No wonder his Qi detection was so sharp, and his response so swift. He had the skills befitting the leader of the Murim Alliance.

“We were lucky yesterday. I happened to be at the scene, so I was able to make up a plausible excuse.”

“Yes, you were.”

“But I’m a little worried about the future. You need to be more discreet, my lord.”

It was a valid point.

He had been too careless, revealing his Qi so blatantly.

He also needed to reflect on his lack of composure.

‘I can’t control my emotions when it comes to her.’

He could kill hundreds, even thousands, of people without batting an eye, but he couldn’t seem to calm down when he thought about his lover.

‘No, that’s not important right now.’

Once he found her and left this place, everything would be fine.

“Yesterday’s incident… I was reckless because I thought I had found a trace of her.”

Dokgo Yul’s frown deepened.

“A trace of the *Principal Spouse*, you mean?”

He wished Dokgo Yul wouldn’t emphasize those words so much. It made him sound like a scumbag with a dozen concubines.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You found the *Principal Spouse*…?”

“I’m not sure. But I think I smelled her scent.”

“Hmm… so that’s why you were so reckless. I understand. I was the same way. When I was searching for you, my lord, I would lose my mind whenever I smelled blood.”

That was a bit different.

‘Why would he think of me when he smells blood…?’

It was too cruel for a peaceful, ordinary citizen like him.

Dokgo Yul was clearly excited.

“Alright, the Principal Spouse. It can’t be helped if it’s related to the woman who will bear you twelve children, regardless of gender. Do you remember what the scent was like?”

He ignored the disturbing comment and replied, “It’s hard to describe.”

It was sweet, yet subtle, like the fragrance of tea, but with an addictive quality.

He could describe it, but he wasn’t sure if Dokgo Yul would understand. And the more he talked about it, the more he felt like a pervert obsessed with smells.

Fortunately, he had taken precautions.

“I secretly planted the Dark Soul Incense.”

The Dark Soul Incense.

A secret tracking incense known only to the Dark Soul Black Wind Guard.

Unlike ordinary tracking incense, which was made by combining herbs and fragrances, the Dark Soul Incense was a secret technique that used Qi to create a unique scent that could be imprinted on a target.

“The Dark Soul Incense… that’s a brilliant move.”

“Yes. Can you find her?”

“It’s a simple task. Leave it to me.”

Dokgo Yul was confident.

He left without another word.

***

That evening, Dokgo Yul brought a young woman to the training ground.

She was of average height, with a pretty face. Her gait suggested that she had received training from a prestigious sect.

Dokgo Yul spoke to her briefly, patting her on the shoulder. The girl blushed and scurried away, flustered.

After she was gone, Dokgo Yul approached Cho Un-hwi.

“What did you say to her?”

“I told her I would give her some pointers on her martial arts, and she followed me without a word.”

“…Really?”

“It was awkward. She kept trying to talk to me, and she kept bumping into me, even though her martial arts skills seemed decent.”

He could imagine.

Dokgo Yul was sweating profusely. He must have been terrified of being caught flirting with a potential love interest.

‘I can’t let anyone else find her.’

He was annoyed by the fact that Dokgo Yul fit his lover’s preferences for an ‘older’ and ‘handsome’ ‘instructor.’

It was like an imprinting effect.

He had to be the first man who fit her criteria.

“So, how did it go?”

“What do you think?”

“You look like a ginseng hunter who dug up a rotten carrot.”

He was right.

The girl wasn’t his lover. He could tell at a glance.

“But the scent was a perfect match.”

“It was coming from her sachet.”

Why did that girl have the same sachet as his lover?

“Do you know where she’s from?”

“Her name is Seo Ok-rang. She’s from the Mount Cheongseong Sect, and her master is Taoist Priest Yeo Jae-il. Her main martial art is the Azure Cloud Falling Sword Technique, and she’s also learned the Floating Cloud Poison Dart, a secret technique of the Mount Cheongseong Sect.”

“…You know a lot about her.”

“She told me everything.”

It was probably because Dokgo Yul was a handsome man.

He racked his brain.

‘Seo Ok-rang… that name sounds familiar…’

He searched his memories.

‘That’s right, she said she had a close friend at the Shinmu Academy.’

She wasn’t the type to attract a large following, but she had been at the academy for over five years, so it was only natural that she had made some friends.

‘And I think she mentioned having a friend from the Mount Cheongseong Sect.’

His memories were incomplete.

He had only reconciled with his lover after years of fighting the righteous faction, and they hadn’t had the time to reminisce about trivial matters.

But he had found an important clue.

The scent was coming from a sachet.

‘Now that I think about it, she would never buy a sachet for herself.’

Sachets were expensive.

Not only were the fragrances costly, but even the most common ingredient, musk, was a rare and precious substance extracted from musk deer.

‘She wouldn’t waste money on a luxury item.’

The most logical explanation was that she had received the sachet as a gift from a friend.

It was common for people to carry tokens of remembrance, letters, or keepsakes during the era of the Heavenly Destruction Society.

‘So one thing is clear.’

He said, “Yul, can you find out who Seo Ok-rang’s close friends are?”

“I think I can.”

“How about we summon them all?”

Dokgo Yul hesitated.

“One or two is fine, but not all of them. She seems to be quite extroverted.”

“Hmm, you’re right. She probably has a large group of friends.”

“And the living quarters in Euncheon Hall are strictly segregated by gender.”

He had heard about that.

‘They have separate dormitories and training grounds for men and women in Euncheon Hall.’

It was a stark contrast to Dongcheon Hall, where they had to reuse training dummies to save money.

“The biggest problem is…”

Dokgo Yul’s voice turned serious.

“Euncheon Hall is too big.”

“…Just how big is it…?”

“It’s at least two or three times the size of Dongcheon Hall.”

“Damn it.”

It had taken him almost six months to thoroughly search Dongcheon Hall.

‘And Euncheon Hall is two or three times bigger?’

Those righteous fools were insane.

“My lord, do you know what surprised me the most?”

“What?”

“There’s a village inside Euncheon Hall.”

A village?

Inside the academy?

Had he heard that correctly?

Dokgo Yul’s expression was serious.

“There’s a real village. I asked why, and do you know what they said?”

He shook his head.

“They said it’s a practice village for mock battles before the Murim Expedition.”

“…”

Those crazy righteous fools.

The Demonic Faction was insane, but the righteous faction was just as bad.

“And there’s a forest and a river too. They said it’s a training ground for outdoor combat.”

Dokgo Yul’s voice was filled with disbelief.

“And Geumcheon Hall is even bigger. My lord, the Murim Alliance is insane.”

Dokgo Yul had grown up in the harsh deserts of Xinjiang, where he had been so hungry that he had resorted to eating dirt.

He was overwhelmed by the wealth and extravagance of the righteous faction.

In conclusion…

“Damn it, so we can’t follow her?”

“It would take forever just to familiarize ourselves with the layout, let alone search the entire place.”

He could imagine how difficult it was for Dokgo Yul.

He had to manage the instructors, control the arrogant students, and search for his lover.

Dokgo Yul made another suggestion.

“My lord, why don’t we summon Danya?”

“I told you no. The other Black Wind Guards will find out.”

“It’s too dangerous. What if the *Principal Spouse* is promoted to Geumcheon Hall this year?”

“Geumcheon Hall?”

He felt a wave of despair.

Euncheon Hall was already giving him a headache, and now he had to search an even bigger place?

It was a hopeless situation.

He had to make a decision.

“Alright, Yul.”

He said, his voice heavy, as if he was biting into a poisoned apple.

“Summon Danya.”

“As you command!”

There was no turning back now.

***

Cho Un-hwi sat on the training ground, thinking about Dokgo Yul’s advice.

*- My lord, there’s something you need to do, aside from Danya’s task.*

Dokgo Yul had said,

*- You need to show some results in Dongcheon Hall.*

It was a reasonable request.

Even if they were short-staffed, they wouldn’t accept an incompetent instructor.

“Results are easy.”

An instructor’s skill was judged by the progress of their students.

“I don’t want to see my students getting beaten up.”

He had been planning on training them properly anyway, so it wasn’t a problem.

The problem was the next condition.

*- My lord, please apply to be a temporary instructor for the Murim Expedition.*

Dokgo Yul’s reasoning was sound.

*- That’s where the biggest shortage of manpower is.*

*- It’s also the subject where you’ll interact with the most students.*

*- And if you can produce good results, you might even be offered a special promotion.*

It was a tempting offer.

But there was one problem.

“Why does the Murim Expedition need a chaperone?”

*- Keep the survivors working, and don’t worry about the dead.*

Cho Un-hwi, who had always lived by that simple philosophy, couldn’t understand what he was supposed to do.

“Ugh, this is giving me a headache.”

He opened the *Instructor’s Handbook – Murim Expedition*, but he quickly slammed it shut.

“This is too confusing.”

He hadn’t expected to encounter a problem here.

He rolled around on the ground, groaning in frustration.

Then, he saw a student training diligently.

He was sweating profusely, even though it was summer break.

“Namgung Yun-ho.”

The student jumped in surprise and dropped his sword.

“I-Instructor.”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“This is the first time you’ve spoken to me in ten days.”

Had it really been that long?

He had been a bit harsh.

“You always chased me away, and you acted like I was invisible. I felt like a ghost.”

Haha.

The student asked, “Do you need something from me?”

“Yes.”

Cho Un-hwi raised his index finger.

“Do you know anything about the Murim Expedition?”