Chapter 70: Danya (1)

Chapter 21

One evening, with the end of summer break approaching, Cho Un-hwi was indulging in some long-overdue laziness, rolling around on his bed, when he received a telepathic message from Dokgo Yul.

*[My lord, I need to speak with you.]*

‘Huh? What’s going on?’

It was an unexpected request.

Dokgo Yul, who had recently been appointed as the swordsmanship instructor for Euncheon Hall, had been incredibly busy.

Moreover, it was rare for him to contact Cho Un-hwi directly, let alone visit his quarters.

They had been careful to avoid any contact that could reveal their connection, as it could jeopardize Dokgo Yul’s position.

‘This doesn’t feel good…’

Dokgo Yul was meticulous about maintaining a low profile and avoiding any overlap in their movements.

The fact that he had gone out of his way to contact him like this was unsettling.

“I hope this isn’t another headache after all that hard work.”

With a flicker of hope, Cho Un-hwi opened the window.

He stepped onto the windowsill and leaped into the air.

***

“My lord.”

As he had feared…

“There’s been a slight problem.”

Dokgo Yul, looking even more haggard than before, apologized profusely as soon as they met.

“I couldn’t find a solution on my own, so I had to disturb your peace.”

“Well, that’s not good. But it’s alright now.”

He couldn’t bring himself to scold Dokgo Yul, seeing his exhausted face.

He was curious.

Dokgo Yul was a capable subordinate who flawlessly handled his duties as a righteous instructor by day and a spy by night.

It was rare for him to express such distress.

‘Don’t tell me…’

There was only one possibility.

“Is this about Danya?”

“Yes, it is.”

Damn it.

He had been right. The only one who could give Dokgo Yul such a hard time was another member of the Dark Soul Black Wind Guard.

A sense of foreboding filled him.

“Yul, my heart can’t take this. Let me ask you one thing first.”

He prayed the answer was no.

“Is it serious?”

“Not yet.”

“Whew.”

That was a relief.

The Dark Soul Black Wind Guard were a reckless bunch, and it was always a pain to clean up their messes.

If Danya hadn’t gone completely rogue yet, there was still a chance to salvage the situation.

“It must have been stressful dealing with Danya. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I missed the opportunity to inform you because you suddenly disappeared.”

Ah, right.

He hadn’t told Dokgo Yul about his impulsive Murim Expedition.

“So, what happened?”

“As you instructed, I sent Danya a letter inviting him to join us.”

“And?”

“He refused to believe me unless he met you in person.”

“Well, that’s not surprising.”

Danya was a suspicious assassin.

It was understandable that he wouldn’t be easily convinced by a letter or two.

“He’s probably upset that I left without a word.”

It was natural for Danya to be suspicious after he had suddenly reappeared and summoned him.

“Alright, I’ll handle it. Should I write him a letter?”

“There’s no need for that.”

“Why not? He might be suspicious, but he’ll recognize my seal.”

“The letter isn’t the problem. The problem is Danya’s whereabouts.”

Whereabouts?

What could possibly make Danya leave the desert?

Then, Dokgo Yul’s answer sent a chill down his spine.

“Danya has left the desert.”

“What?! Really?”

He felt a sudden drop in temperature.

‘Don’t tell me he just left…’

His premonition was right.

“You don’t need to write a letter. Just go to the Green Wall Tower.”

“T-the Green Wall Tower? Why?”

The Green Wall Tower was the Hao Clan’s branch in Muhan City.

There was only one reason why Danya would be involved with the Green Wall Tower.

“Damn it, is Danya attacking the Green Wall Tower?!”

“Yes, he is.”

“Why?!”

“I sent the letter through one of the Hao Clan’s messengers, and it seems he wasn’t happy about it.”

“Ugh.”

That crazy bastard.

He was attacking the Hao Clan because he was unhappy?

“You said it wasn’t serious! You said it was a minor problem!”

Dokgo Yul calmly replied,

“No one has died yet.”

“No buildings have been destroyed, and no one has been massacred.”

“The only casualty was one of the Hao Clan’s messengers, who was stripped naked and hung from the city walls.”

He felt a throbbing pain in his head.

This was already a headache.

***

Yo-ran’s hands trembled uncontrollably.

Her subordinate, kneeling before her, pleaded, “Branch Leader! We need a plan!”

Of course they needed a plan.

But Yo-ran couldn’t speak.

She was still reeling from the news her subordinate had brought.

“Chief Administrator Jong is missing?”

Chief Administrator Jong-yeo was no ordinary man. He had been her loyal servant since childhood and had handled all her affairs, both big and small.

He knew many of the Hao Clan’s secrets, so his disappearance was a serious matter.

“Who is responsible?”

“…We haven’t been able to identify the culprit. But we found this in his room.”

Yo-ran’s eyes widened as she saw the small iron token her subordinate presented.

*- Bondage Game.*

The palm-sized black token was engraved with a single phrase in blood-red lettering.

“Bondage Game? To bind and play? Is it him again?”

Her gaze shifted to a corner of her desk.

Ten similar black tokens were piled there haphazardly.

A mysterious figure who had been attacking the Hao Clan and leaving behind these strange tokens.

It had started just a few days ago.

This enigmatic individual had begun to cast a shadow over the night streets of Muhan City.

At first, she hadn’t paid much attention. There were always fools who were blinded by Muhan City’s wealth and challenged the Hao Clan.

But this time was different.

It had started with the disappearance of a high-ranking courtesan.

“Branch Leader, Ae-ran is missing.”

(TLN: maybe She-ran)

“Ae-ran?”

Yo-ran had sensed something was wrong. Officially, Ae-ran was a talented courtesan, renowned for her singing and dancing, but she was actually a disciple of the Hao Clan, trained in martial arts.

But she hadn’t thought it was a big deal.

Ae-ran was only a third-rate martial artist and didn’t possess any critical information about the Hao Clan.

However, she soon realized she had made a grave mistake.

“The Boatmen’s Guild at the ferry was attacked yesterday.”

“Two of our safe houses were raided without a trace. The double ledgers we kept there are gone.”

“Branch Leader, Master Jin, who manages our stables, is missing.”

“Branch Leader! Branch Leader!”

The reports kept coming, and Yo-ran was overwhelmed.

The Boatmen’s Guild was a group that the Hao Clan had secretly recruited just recently.

‘How did they know about them and attack them? The connection hasn’t even been made public yet.’

She had initially thought it might be a coincidence, but when their secret safe houses and even the financiers who secretly supported the Hao Clan started disappearing, she realized this was no ordinary enemy.

They were well-informed about the Hao Clan’s operations.

“Did they leave any other traces?”

“They’re incredibly elusive. There are no traces, no witnesses.”

“They’re professionals.”

The Hao Clan was under attack.

By an unknown enemy.

A particular group came to mind.

‘The Heavenly Destruction Society.’

It was possible that they were responsible, given their penchant for lurking in the shadows and plotting against the Murim.

But there was something that didn’t add up.

‘Why are they targeting us instead of the Murim Alliance?’

Officially, it was the Murim Alliance who fought against the Heavenly Destruction Society.

The Hao Clan had been the one to expose their existence, but few people knew about it.

The targets were also strange.

‘If they wanted to attack the Hao Clan, they should target the headquarters, not a branch.’

The Muhan City branch was strategically important, but it held little value within the Hao Clan.

They had to be careful not to attract the attention of the Murim Alliance, so their expansion was limited.

‘The most puzzling thing is this iron token.’

The Heavenly Destruction Society was obsessed with secrecy. Why would they leave behind such a blatant clue?

“This isn’t their style.”

Then who was it?

She vaguely remembered a mysterious figure with a peculiar habit.

Few people knew about him.

He was a ruthless and cunning individual who ruled the night in the distant desert.

“The master of the Desert Assassins Valley, the Black Night.”

He was known for leaving behind a token as a mark of his presence.

The mere sight of his token was enough to make the desert warriors tremble.

“If it’s really the Black Night, why is he here in Muhan City?”

The Desert Assassins’ Valley operated beyond the Great Wall, in the vast desert where the moon was dark for six months and bright for the other six.

The Black Night was said to control the darkness and the fate of all living creatures in that desolate land.

‘And it seems he’s here alone.’

Even if he was a king in the desert, it was suicidal to infiltrate Muhan City, a den of tigers and dragons, by himself.

That was why she couldn’t be sure of his identity.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now.”

Chief Administrator Jong, who had been the face of the Green Wall Tower, was gone.

It was time to act.

She said, “Tell everyone who lives in the night streets.”

“Everyone, Branch Leader?”

“Yes, everyone. The drunkards, the addicts, even the deaf and the blind.”

“Yes, Branch Leader.”

She had one goal.

“If we’re attacked, we have to retaliate.”

The Hao Clan had survived for so long because of their unwavering adherence to a single rule:

*- An eye for an eye.*

By any means necessary.

“We need to remind them who rules the night streets of Muhan City.”

Her eyes gleamed dangerously.

A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and she heard a familiar voice.

“I hope I’m not too late.”

She turned to see a man sitting on the windowsill, a faint smile on his lips.

“Have you been well?”

***

The subordinate’s face went blank, and he collapsed.

Yo-ran sighed and smiled sweetly.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, I’ve been out of town. So, how are things? You seem a bit busy.”

“There’s no need for you to worry. There’s been a minor issue, but I’ll take care of it soon.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Yo-ran tilted her head, puzzled by his sudden apology.

“Why are you apologizing? You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“You’ll understand why I’m apologizing after you hear what I have to say.”

Her eyes widened with curiosity.

“The truth is…”