Chapter v13C15

**Infiltration**

The night reveals what the light conceals, but it also hides much. Especially on a moonless night like this, perfect for concealment.

The old man and the woman were clad in black, their clothes clinging to their bodies. It was the standard uniform for infiltrators.

They headed towards the area with the weakest security. They had already scouted the place. As expected, the area where the goods were stored was heavily guarded. It would take a lot of effort to breach that security. But fortunately, their target wasn’t the goods. Of course, it would be helpful to know what the goods were, but they knew it would be risky. The goods emanated a dangerous aura, like a rotting corpse hidden in a dark corner.

Scaling the wall was easy. Eun Seol-ran wasn’t a burden. She moved with feline grace, her delicate body silent and agile. Beauty alone wasn’t enough to earn the title of “Black Path’s Deadly Flower.” She needed the skills to match. If it were based on looks alone, she would be called “Black Path’s Thirty-Six Flowers” by now.

According to their intel, the entire inn had been rented by the Central Plains Escort Agency. That meant there was no safe zone. They had to be careful.

Getting over the wall was easy. But they hadn’t expected guards to be patrolling the backyard, bonfires illuminating the area. They almost got caught. If Han Ro hadn’t warned her, they might have been spotted.

She moved silently towards the guest rooms in the backyard.

‘Third floor, backyard, they said…’

Han Ro was thorough. He had bribed a waiter at the Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn and obtained the information she needed. The most luxurious guest rooms were on the third floor of the backyard building. The young master of the Central Plains Escort Agency and a few others were occupying the entire third floor. That meant the man she had seen was likely to be there.

A woman emerged from the shadows of the backyard building. Her face was hidden behind a mask, but her slender curves, visible beneath her clothes, revealed her gender. A man, also masked, followed her. If they removed their masks, it would be clear that the man was actually an old man. It was Eun Seol-ran and Han Ro. No one noticed their movements. They were as silent and stealthy as ghosts.

The building was three stories high.

Eun Seol-ran pointed upwards, indicating that she would climb. Han Ro shook his head, disagreeing. It was too dangerous. But Eun Seol-ran insisted, her eyes, gleaming like polished jewels, reflecting her determination. He knew it was useless to argue. It was rare for her to be so stubborn.

‘What’s gotten into her?’

She must have a strong motive. But he didn’t pry, considering his position.

He nodded and pointed downwards, indicating that he would stay behind and support her. Eun Seol-ran’s eyes, visible above her mask, softened with gratitude.

She bowed slightly and looked up at her target.

‘Alright!’

Three stories wasn’t a challenging height for her. She leaped gracefully, landing silently on the eaves of the first floor, as light as a feather. Even the roof tiles, which usually rattled at the slightest touch, remained silent. Han Ro was impressed.

She climbed to the second and third floors with ease, reaching her destination. She pressed herself against the roof, hiding from the guards patrolling below. She didn’t want her shadow to be visible in the moonlight.

‘Now what…?’

There were many rooms on the third floor. It would take too long to search them all. And it was risky.

She closed her eyes and focused her hearing, expanding her range.

She could hear the distant sound of flowing water, the wind carrying the fresh evening air, crickets chirping, crackling flames from a bonfire, and footsteps. She even thought she could hear the moonlight falling. The silent night was now a cacophony of sounds in her ears.

And then she heard it. The sound she had been waiting for.

“Are you ready?”

“Everything is in order.”

“There’s no room for error. No mistakes.”

“O-Of course.”

One man asked, and another answered. But their voices were muffled because the windows were closed. She couldn’t identify the speakers, even though she could hear their conversation.

‘Should I try?’

It was risky, but it was worth it. She moved like a cat, silently approaching the window where the voices were coming from. She grabbed a beam on the eaves of the second floor and swung herself around it, a smooth, effortless rotation, as if she were weightless. She was now hanging from the eaves of the third floor. She let go and landed softly.

But there was a mishap.

Click!

A faint sound, a roof tile shifting. She held her breath. The tile she had stepped on must have been loose.

Her heart pounded with anxiety. Cold sweat drenched her back. She froze, her body stiff as a statue. She heightened her senses, focusing all her attention on the window.

‘Did they hear me?’

Anxiety gnawed at her heart. Her throat was parched with thirst.

She waited, but there was no movement from inside the room.

‘Whew…’

She finally relaxed and lifted her foot slightly from the tile. This time, there was no sound. She pressed herself against the wall, listening intently. She heard the young man’s voice again, the same voice she had heard from the roof.

“…But the report says they lost a cart!”

She heard a thud from inside the room. It seemed like someone had prostrated themselves. They must have made a mistake… But she couldn’t guess what kind of mistake.

“I-I apologize. It was my fault. I didn’t expect bandits to attack us with fire arrows…”

“I don’t want to hear any more excuses!”

The young man’s voice cut him off. It was a cold, emotionless voice, Eun Seol-ran thought. And she felt a pang of doubt. Was this really the same voice she remembered? She thought back to the man she knew. The answer was no.

‘Did I get the wrongperson?’

Then she heard another voice. It seemed like the subordinate was begging for forgiveness.

“I-I’m so sorry.”

His voice trembled. Even she, listening from outside the window, could sense his fear. Their relationship was based on fear, not trust.

“What’s the progress on Phase Two?”

The man with the emotionless voice asked.

“We’ve already made contact. We’ve also confirmed the identity of the mole. The first shipment will be delivered in a week.”

He answered quickly, like a loyal dog wagging its tail.

‘Shipment? A week? Mole?’

The fragments of their conversation only deepened her suspicions. But she still couldn’t see the big picture.

“Good! Make sure there are no mistakes! I want to see the spectacle of Mount Hua in full bloom.”

“Yes, sir!”

The subordinate bowed deeply.

‘Red flowers?’

She couldn’t understand why those words sounded so ominous. But she felt it instinctively.

The conversation ended.

Slam! The sound of the door closing reached her ears. It seemed like the subordinate had left.

Eun Seol-ran was torn. She couldn’t be sure based on his voice alone. She had to see his face. But it was risky. If he was the man she suspected, her martial arts skills might not be enough.

‘Should I go back?’

At that moment, a dark shadow emerged from behind her.

* * *

The pale moonlight, like a guide for a lost traveler, illuminated the faint darkness.

Drip!

Drip!

Drip!

Each step he took left a red stain on the ground. But even the bloodstains looked black under the pale moonlight.

“Ugh… I have to warn them…”

He had been careless. He had underestimated his opponents. Every step he took sent a jolt of pain through his nerves and muscles. His abdomen felt like it was on fire.

One in the tree, one on the roof, one in the alley. He had already eliminated three pursuers. The night concealed their deaths. But he knew that more were on his trail, their noses twitching at the scent of his blood.

But he was at a disadvantage because of the first wound he had sustained. Escape would come at a heavy price. The wounds on his arm and thigh were proof of that.

“Damn it, those bastards…”

His pursuers were professionals. They weren’t ordinary escorts from an escort agency. He knew, having spent years in the shadows. As Eun Seol-ran had suspected, there was a hidden side to the Central Plains Escort Agency. But she wasn’t with him now.

‘To think that I, known as the Thousand Faces, would be reduced to this… Serves me right.’

Blood oozed from his wounds, but he couldn’t erase the wry smile from his lips.

He had to save her. He couldn’t face his lord if anything happened to her. There was only one thing he could do.

“I have to warn them…”

He headed towards a towering peak, its silhouette looming in the darkness, faintly illuminated by the crescent moon.