By Zephyria 
* * *
As dusk fell, the people of the Peng Clan, having recovered some of their strength, gathered in the courtyard of the inn.
“You must all be exhausted, but push yourselves just a little more. Whether we rescue Do-hwan safely or not determines the very survival of our Habeok Peng Clan.”
“Yes, Elder!”
Paeng Oe-cheol spoke with a booming voice, making eye contact with each of the clan’s martial artists lined up before him with a solemn gaze.
Despite the forced march, a resolve to fight to the death was etched upon their faces. Every single one of them was an elite, the pride of the Peng Clan. This was why Paeng Oe-cheol had not lost confidence, even while facing an unreasonable fight.
As dozens of martial artists with fierce eyes stepped out into the street, the gaze of the people followed them. They left Lanzhou with a majestic aura befitting a prestigious family. Beyond the dense forest encountered immediately after passing through the city gates lay Kilyeon Cliff.
“Please wait a moment!”
Someone stepped forward to block their path just as they exited the city gates.
He was a handsome young man with a tall stature, though he had not yet lost the traces of youth.
“You are…”
The martial uniform he wore looked familiar; upon closer inspection, a clear plum blossom pattern was embroidered on his chest.
“A disciple of the Demon-slaying Blood Shadow.”
Paeng Oe-cheol curled his lip into a crooked smirk. According to the Haoh Gate’s report, Peng Do-hwan had apparently been moving with Mount Hua’s Baek Ryeo-il and his disciple. He had heard there were two more attendants of Yak Seon, and indeed, there were two people beside the young Taoist of the Hwasan Sect. However, whether it was Yak Seon or anyone else, they were outside Paeng Oe-cheol’s concern.
“Come to think of it, he isn’t visible. Did he get seriously injured or something? But what business does the young Taoist have? As you know, we are facing a critical matter upon which the future of our family depends, so it will be difficult to offer any help.”
Even before the youth could state his business, Paeng Oe-cheol abruptly expressed a cold refusal.
Internally, he harbored dissatisfaction toward Mount Hua for failing to prevent his nephew’s accident, so kind words did not come easily. Furthermore, the second-generation disciple Baek Ryeo-il, who had recently traversed the martial world and earned a new title, was renowned for his outstanding talent. Seeing that he couldn’t even protect a single companion, Paeng Oe-cheol felt a sneering urge to believe that rumors were indeed unreliable.
“I am Gang Woong, a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua. I apologize for blocking your path. However, I have news to deliver, so I risk this rudeness to greet you, seniors.”
The boy offered a fist-and-palm salute with a fairly disciplined posture. At his polite attitude, which differed from his master’s, the sharp glint in the Elder’s eyes softened slightly.
“Every second is urgent right now. Why stand a man here just to speak? What is it?”
“Actually, we have some information obtained by spying on the interior of Kilyeon Cliff.”
“What?! How did you infiltrate a place with such abysmal accessibility? No, if such a thing happened, why didn’t you say so sooner?”
“We only managed to obtain the information a short while ago.”
“Do-hwan?! Is our Do-hwan safe?”
“Yes, although we couldn’t confirm the detailed situation, he is safe.”
“Phew…”
Only then could Paeng Oe-cheol release some of his tension. He had been immensely worried about what Peng Do-hwan might be experiencing during this time, or if it was already too late.
“Thank you for letting me know. I assume you have other important information as well?”
“Yes. First, it seems they were monitoring movements on this side from the inside. They say they know the Peng Clan will soon invade and have completed preparations to deal with it.”
“That would be expected. That is partly why we moved hastily, to avoid giving them more time to prepare. So, what is their strategy?”
“The enemy intends to fully utilize the terrain’s characteristics, which make infiltration difficult. However, since they are well aware of the Peng Clan’s prowess, they have also prepared a second line of defense. If you break through the first line of deterrence and enter the mine tunnels, they plan to detonate explosives to crush you. Therefore, I sincerely hope that you, seniors, do not forget this strategy and proceed with caution and deliberation.”
“…I see.”
Paeng Oe-cheol’s face hardened seriously once again. While he etched the new information into his mind and pondered a new strategy to counter it, Gang Woong hesitated for a moment before speaking with difficulty.
“Also…”
“Ha! So the main point starts now. What is it? Since I know the information the young Taoist gave us is valuable, I shall accept it generously if possible. Speak your mind.”
“I request that you temporarily halt the operation while we seek a way to neutralize the enemy’s strategy, now that we know the second young master is safe.”
At the unexpected request, the muscles in Paeng Oe-cheol’s face twitched intermittently in displeasure.
“Even so, you must not forget your place, young Taoist. Unless a member of another sect—and a young disciple at that—holds the laws of the martial world in utter contempt, how could you tell a Great Family what to do regarding their own affairs? I believe that is for us to decide.”
As expected, Paeng Oe-cheol reacted sensitively. It was the anticipated answer, but Gang Woong’s face turned pale. Flustered, he quickly added:
“It is by no means my intention to infringe upon your clan’s rights! However, we have something prepared on our end, so I thought it would be better if we joined forces…”
“Is that so? What is it that you have prepared? Did the Hwasan Sect decide to send their main force?”
“That is…”
“Or did another family or sect promise to help?”
As Paeng Oe-cheol’s questions continued, Gang Woong gradually lowered his head, unable to look up. Jegal Un did not have a delicate personality that shared every single private detail, so Gang Woong had heard nothing about where support had been requested.
“Ha! Are you trying to gamble the Peng Clan’s fate on an uncertain hope? You are indeed young. I too had a time when my blood boiled like yours, so as a piece of advice to a very young junior: the world is not such an easy place. If you move based on clumsy hopes or conjectures, you will eventually learn a hard lesson.”
“Ah…”
Paeng Oe-cheol signaled his subordinates lined up behind him to advance. Gang Woong hurriedly chased after Paeng Oe-cheol as he brushed past.
“Pl-please wait a moment. Support will definitely come…”
“Move aside.”
“Senior, senior! Please, just listen to me once…”
“There is a limit to indulgence. I thought you were young, but I can’t watch this any longer! How on earth does Mount Hua teach its disciples! I told you to move!”
Paeng Oe-cheol, who roughly pushed Gang Woong aside, and his party increased their speed and quickly distanced themselves.
They glanced back at the outsider chasing them and, as if annoyed, accelerated to widen the gap.
‘I’m sorry, Young Family Head…’
Jegal Un had asked him to buy as much time as possible, but for Gang Woong, fifteen minutes was the absolute limit. Left with no choice, the three of them followed behind the Peng Clan.
However, before long, the Peng Clan came to a halt. Thanks to this, Gang Woong’s party was able to catch up to them without losing sight of them.
A group of black-clad figures stood blocking the Peng Clan’s path.
“Demonic Cult bastards!”
There was no way they wouldn’t recognize their identity, as black demonic energy was streaming from their entire bodies. The Peng Clan simultaneously raised their momentum and pointed their weapons at the enemies.
“Lower your weapons. We didn’t come here to fight.”
Il-gwang, standing at the front, took a step forward and spoke. At that, the people of the Peng Clan flinched, looking as if they would spring forward at any moment. However, Paeng Oe-cheol raised his hand to stop his subordinates.
“You block the path, leak demonic energy everywhere, and claim you didn’t come to fight? Then why did you come? Did you come to surrender?”
“They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Divine Demon Sect is the enemy of our Demonic Cult, and like you, we wish for their downfall. We have come to negotiate.”
“Negotiate? Don’t make me laugh. I have no intention of dealing with filthy Demonic Cult bastards!”
One of the hot-tempered Peng Clan martial artists shouted fiercely.
At the blatant hostility, Il-gwang closed his mouth in a straight line, looking displeased. A chilling tension, as if it might explode at any moment, permeated the area.
Gang Woong watched their confrontation with a nervous heart.
‘Please, endure it…’
Because he knew how high Il-gwang’s pride was, he couldn’t help but be even more tense.
Half a day ago, when Gang Woong’s party and the Black Shadow Unit happened to encounter each other in front of the Peng Clan’s lodgings, they did not act hastily and instead scouted each other.
If they had intended to fight, they would have rushed in the moment they met, but neither side had such intentions.
As it turned out, the Black Shadow Unit had also obtained information through their own intelligence network that the Peng Clan intended to strike Kilyeon Cliff. They had encountered Gang Woong’s party while spying to determine whether the variable of the Peng Clan would be helpful or harmful to Seong Mu-yeon’s survival.
After a long period of scouting and checking, they finally faced each other cautiously. Eventually, after realizing that the goals of both sides coincided, they even formed a temporary alliance.
Gang Woong felt a strange sensation. He had never imagined that he would stand shoulder to shoulder with an opponent he had been pointing a sword at just a few days ago, intending to kill.
“If it is a negotiation, there must be conditions. Let’s hear them.”
Paeng Oe-cheol spoke, calming his agitated subordinates.