I met with Ho Yeon-geom's party and Hwang Kang-ju, then came outside. Won Seo-gang lowered his voice as we walked down the corridor.
"Did you happen to inform the Underworld Information Clan?"
My heart sank. The situation was so urgent that I hadn't thought of it. We could proceed with entering the Black Night Gang on our own, but the Underworld Information Clan needed to know.
Won Seo-gang was staying in one of the detached houses of the Underworld Information Clan branch. If things went wrong, Im Ja-gyeon and Seon Do-mu could attack this place. Even if that wasn't the case, we needed to share a certain amount of information with the Underworld Information Clan.
Causing a major incident in the Western Village while ignoring the Underworld Information Clan would crack the relationship and trust we had built up so far. If things went well, we might even be able to receive their help.
"I'll go and come back."
As I hurriedly left the room, a face suddenly came to mind.
"Let's call Jin Seok-man as well."
"You mean that friend from the brewery?"
Won Seo-gang looked at me doubtfully.
"Didn't you say someone would open it from the inside? Then we don't need him. He probably doesn't know the internal structure better than a Black Night Gang member."
"We can't rely solely on Bok Ha-gyu. Isn't it true that not a single person gathered here has been inside the Black Night Gang?"
There might be information Jin Seok-man didn't mention or things he passed over as too trivial. I wondered if it would be of great help, but you never know with people.
"It's better to just bring him along than to regret it later. There's nothing to lose."
The deal with Jin Seok-man was only that he would provide information about the Black Night Gang and go in with us when we climbed the wall. Whether he robbed a safe or opened a warehouse inside was his own business.
"I suppose so. Alright. I'll send a man."
I left the detached house and ran to the pavilion master's residence. My pace slowed near the detached house where the Tang Clan members were staying, then quickened again. The Tang Clan members had nothing to do with this.
If a conflict between factions broke out inside the Black Night Gang, it would become chaotic in an instant. If I clumsily informed them beforehand and the Tang Clan members got involved, I could be killed by a stray hidden weapon.
"I've decided to infiltrate the Black Night Gang with Great Hero Won."
After hearing a brief explanation, Geuk-hwan guided me to the reception room. Pavilion Master Hong Hee, whom I hadn't seen in a while, still had the appearance of a graceful and beautiful hostess skilled at handling people. She didn't rush me, leisurely offering me a seat.
She let me moisten my throat with fragrant, high-grade tea and catch my breath before starting the conversation.
"You're going to the Black Night Gang?"
"Yes. I've decided to leave with Great Hero Won's party in an hour and a half."
"So it has come to that... It is indeed a night too good to miss."
"Did you know?"
Hong Hee gave a faint smile.
"I heard there was a knife fight in the back alley and Squad Master Bok was injured. He has a hostile relationship with the other two squad masters, who are eager for a confrontation."
"About half of Squad Master Bok's subordinates are outside the Western Village because of the Blood Snake Gang matter. In a situation like this, it wouldn't be the dark path if a knife fight didn't break out."
As I thought, the ominous feeling I had in the alley earlier, that things were falling into place, wasn't just my imagination. Hearing it from the mouth of the Underworld Information Clan's branch master, who consolidates all information in the Western Village, made it feel undeniably certain.
That whether we intervened or not, a major incident would occur at the Black Night Gang tonight.
"There's no better time to exploit the chaos. How many are going?"
"Including myself, seven people."
"Even taking advantage of the chaos, it won't be easy with just that many, will it?"
"Squad Master Bok has agreed to be our inside help."
Hong Hee's eyes widened slightly. One of the three squad masters leading the Black Night Gang in place of the bedridden master was cooperating. It was a variable that could completely turn the tables.
With a glint in her eyes, Hong Hee quietly sized me up.
"I've felt this before, but Great Hero Jeong's schemes are truly brilliant at catching one off guard. I know you've only met Squad Master Bok a few times, yet you've managed to make this happen so exquisitely. Thank you for letting the main clan know in advance."
"Of course, I had to let you know. What will the Underworld Information Clan do?"
"The main clan will not intervene."
Hong Hee drew a clear line. They had no grudges to settle with the Black Night Gang, so watching from the sidelines was probably the best course of action. Wiping out martial world factions and absorbing their power was not the Underworld Information Clan's way of survival.
"Is there anything you might need?"
I quickly racked my brain at the unexpected offer of goodwill. The fact that Hong Hee asked first meant she was willing to help with most things.
"Could you provide one large carriage, a driver, and a few guards?"
I hoped it wouldn't come to that, but if the Crouching Dragon Hall was breached, I might have to get Jeok Chu-yeong out depending on the situation.
"That much is possible. But I have one request in return."
"Please, speak."
"After this is over, please arrange a meeting with Squad Master Bok. There are quite a few issues we need to agree upon and handle for the future order of the Western Village."
"Can't the Underworld Information Clan contact him directly?"
When he was cornered fighting Pyo Hol-deuk, Bok Ha-gyu had asked Geuk-hwan for help. They must have established enough of a connection by now; there was no reason for me to get involved. The thoughts of the leader of the Underworld Information Clan's Western Village branch were different.
"Squad Master Bok is so overly straightforward that he's actually a difficult martial artist to deal with. I'd like Great Hero Jeong to act as a bridge."
At the absurd words, I let out a dry laugh and waved my hands dismissively.
"He is not a man who will listen to my words blindly."
Bok Ha-gyu was bold and had deep resolve. He wasn't a man to be easily swayed by others. Though he seemed to lack cunning, his judgment of situations and ability to adapt were above average.
Just looking at his involvement with me so far, it might seem like he moved according to my will, but in the end, he brushed it all aside with the promise of showing me Jeok Chu-yeong's face later. And yet, Hong Hee smiled with a look of conviction.
"He will probably listen."
When I finished talking and returned to the detached house, Jin Seok-man was waiting for me. While everyone else was burning with fighting spirit, he alone was frozen stiff as a rock, unable to even breathe properly. I wondered if he could even cross the threshold of the Black Night Gang in that state.
"We're leaving in a bit. What are you going to do? If you're scared, you can back out."
"... I will go."
As if he had been waiting for this day, Jin Seok-man's eyes filled with venom, and he gritted his teeth. To pay off his gambling debts, save his lover who was about to be sold to a rich old man, and start a new life, he had no choice but to climb the walls of the Black Night Gang.
It was a sudden opportunity, but not a bad one for thievery. Normally, even if he climbed the walls of the Black Night Gang, the patrols would make it difficult to steal even a lump of cold rice from the kitchen.
When fights broke out, people died, and the inside was in chaos, it was the perfect time to go in and plunder everywhere.
"Do you have a weapon?"
Jin Seok-man shook his head.
"I don't need one. Trying to fight clumsily won't beat them anyway. It's better to disguise myself as a servant."
After asking him whatever came to mind about the internal structure of the Black Night Gang, I also prepared to go out. I checked the edge of my long blade and inspected the dagger strapped to my ankle and the bamboo tube hidden in my left hand. I also packed plenty of wound salve and bandages.
"I wonder if I should have gotten a leather vest or chain armor..."
The thought that I might have to face multiple opponents in the dark, from the front and back, made me regret even the leather vest I had thrown away because it was too old. I had finished all my preparations and was chewing on jerky, going over the escape route in my head, when Won Seo-gang opened the door.
"It's time. Let's go."
I strapped the long blade to my back and went outside. Everyone was waiting in front of the main gate. Suddenly, I remembered my days wandering as a swordsman.
Back then, too, there were a few times I'd formed a team like this and climbed over walls in the middle of the night. Some died inside, and some escaped safely. I was always on the side that survived.
How will it be this time? I didn't particularly want to know. It was a relief that the expressions of the comrades I had to walk the path of life and death with tonight seemed similar to my own.
Everyone is just running toward their own goals. Like a loosed arrow. I am the same.
I will not stop. Nodding, I stepped down from the stone steps. We left the Deep Fragrance Pavilion and moved only through the darkest alleys we could find.
It was a bright night, so much so that whenever the moon emerged from the clouds, shadows were cast on the walls. Not a very good day for a stealthy infiltration. Still, it seemed like identifying friend or foe would be easy, so I probably wouldn't get stabbed by a blind blade.
The back alley I had visited at dusk had already been cleared of the child assassins' bodies. It had even been washed clean with water, so there was almost no smell of blood. The Officials, who wouldn't move without a bribe, couldn't have done it.
Bok Ha-gyu probably took care of it. That wouldn't make the unpleasant scandal disappear, but it was much better than seeing the children's bodies left neglected. When we reached the end of the alley, the back door of the Black Night Gang, which we had intended to enter earlier, appeared between the high walls.
We hid in a line in the darkness beneath the wall and waited for the right time. From somewhere, the sound of cheerful singing could be heard. It was the slurred voice of a drunk, reeking of warm liquor.
The night wind, carrying the chill of early winter, stung my face. Shivering, I put my hands, which were growing cold and stiff, into my pockets. I let out a puff of white breath and turned my head to the side.
In the deep darkness, a few puffs of breath of different sizes formed and then disappeared. It looked like someone had grinned. I could see the flash of white teeth.
When I judged it was about the hour of the Ox, I knocked on the back door. A moment later, I heard the sound of a latch being undone, and the thick wooden door opened inward. There was no reaction from beyond the door, which gaped open like a large mouth.
Swallowing dryly, I held my breath and perked up my ears. If this was a trap, this would be the last point of no return, the place where life and death were decided. After making eye contact with Won Seo-gang, I, who was acquainted with Bok Ha-gyu, took the lead.
Holding my scabbard with my left hand so I could draw my blade and react at any moment, I quietly crossed the threshold. Inside the door was a wide backyard, large enough to park several freight carriages. I moved quickly, scanning the surroundings.
There was no one in the yard, near the garden trees, or around the building. The dark path follower who had opened the door also seemed to have retreated far away and was not visible. One by one, the members of my party stealthily lowered their bodies and followed me in.
Me, Won Seo-gang, Jin Seok-man, Hwang Kang-ju, Ho Yeon-geom, and his two junior sisters. A total of seven people, two of whom were women. Only then did Bok Ha-gyu appear from under the eaves on the opposite side of the yard.
Everyone reflexively gripped their weapons. Seeing the group of martial artists drenched in moonlight, Bok Ha-gyu let out a weary sigh.
"...... Is this everyone?"
Won Seo-gang stepped forward and replied nonchalantly.
"Isn't what Squad Master Bok wants to shake up the other side? In that case, skill and guts are more important than numbers. You won't be disappointed, so just watch. Where is Ban Ho-yang?"
Except for me, everyone else seemed to be meeting Bok Ha-gyu for the first time, but the situation was urgent, so introductions were skipped. Bok Ha-gyu stared intently at Won Seo-gang, as if gauging his martial ability and qi presence, then gestured for a subordinate.
"He's holed up in the Destruction Pavilion where Im Ja-gyeon is staying. Follow this man."
"Brother Won. I'll see you later."
"May you also be victorious, younger brother."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Won Seo-gang disappeared with Hwang Kang-ju between the pavilions to the left, following the guide.
"We'll take care of Seon Do-mu's side."
"The Five Phoenix Pavilion is that way."
Ho Yeon-geom and his junior sisters also followed a dark path follower down the path to the right. Jin Seok-man, who had been standing at the very back, had already slipped away into the darkness. All that remained were me, Bok Ha-gyu, and three guards.
"And Master Jeok?"
"He is where he always is. This way."
Bok Ha-gyu entered a narrow, dark path between a pavilion and a wall. It was much more secluded and secret than the internal passage Jin Seok-man had told me about. It was a situation where we could be attacked at any moment, but we couldn't pick up speed because of Bok Ha-gyu's injured leg.
"Is your leg alright?"
"It's fine."
"Wasn't that the leg you injured against Pyo Hol-deuk the other day?"
"Hmph."
Bok Ha-gyu did not hide his displeasure. The leg was a dangerous spot to be stabbed, no less than any other vital point. A deep wound could send you to the grave before you had a chance to do anything.
Getting stabbed twice in less than a month was a damn shame, but it was a stroke of luck that he hadn't died or been crippled. When we came out through the path behind the warehouse, the three-story pavilion where the master stayed was right in front of us.
Contrary to its grandiose nameplate, 'Crouching Dragon Hall', its size was about that of a detached house at the Deep Fragrance Pavilion. The gang members on guard recognized Bok Ha-gyu and bowed their heads. As I passed, I saw there were about twenty of them.
They seemed to be carefully chosen, as their gazes and qi presences were quite impressive.
"Here."
Deep inside the inner chamber on the first floor, Bok Ha-gyu straightened his clothes and carefully opened the room's door. A bedroom adorned with splendid furniture and decorations. Someone was lying on a thick silk mattress in the center.
The only thing visible outside the blanket was a face. The lanterns lit here and there were bright, but it wasn't easy to recognize who it was. Cheeks so gaunt they seemed sunken.
Protruding cheekbones, and even with the eyes closed, the sockets were deep and hollow. He was unmistakably a sick person. I recalled the face I had seen in the portrait from the Underworld Information Clan.
Well-defined facial features, twitching dark eyebrows. Eyes full of intelligence. Faint traces of a handsome man, so striking he could have passed for a rising star of the righteous sects, remained here and there on his emaciated face.
The master of the Black Night Gang, who had collapsed after being struck by a Hidden Force and had been suffering from internal injuries for two years. Jeok Chu-yeong was right before my eyes.