I had some time before officially joining the Yellow Spring Division. During this period, I decided to handle a certain task.

My plan was to treat the incoming members of the Demon Corps with the utmost respect. Loyalty should not be about squeezing youth with false pretenses, but rather rewarding them with a salary that matches their abilities.

Whether one spends money recklessly in life, wasting it on luxuries, buying land and houses, or preparing for old age—just as long as one avoids gambling, it’s all good.

For this, a huge sum of money was needed, and I knew just how to earn it around this time.

After leaving a note for Ian saying I would be out for a bit of fresh air, I quietly left the sect.

My life had been one that always kept regression in mind.

Most of my time had been spent searching for materials to perform the Grand Regression Art—grueling and taxing work—but even so, there were things I had to remember. I knew exactly when and where significant events in the martial world would take place, especially those I could use to my advantage. Over the course of decades, I had witnessed and remembered countless incidents in the martial realm.

This time, the event was set to unfold near a village at Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province. A crucial event would take place there, one that I absolutely couldn’t miss.

I made my way to the site, using Wind Sky Sect’s swift steps for the journey. Though my training was just beginning, the more I ran, the more I found myself immersed in its profoundness.

During my breaks, I’d look at the distant plains, lost in old thoughts. When the wind blew from the horizon, carrying sand and dust, I would spring up and run again.

On the day the event was to occur, I ran energetically one day and took it slow the next, adjusting my pace.

I kept running, and eventually, I arrived at the lower village of Mount Wuyi.

When I was a vagabond, an old ronin once told me a story.

He had run a ronin office once, taking commissions and earning fees. Whenever he spoke of a certain incident that had occurred, he would begin with a sigh, saying, "It was a dreadful thing." Today, that very incident would unfold in this place.

I asked a vendor where the local ronin office was located and found the building—a dilapidated structure at the end of the marketplace where the ronins gathered.

When I entered, I found a cramped space filled with about a dozen ronins. Some were dozing off leaning against the walls, others were cleaning their weapons, and a few were talking in small groups. Some of their eyes shifted toward me, but they quickly lost interest and dispersed.

I walked over to a middle-aged man sitting at a desk in the corner, writing something.

Seeing him, my heart tightened. This was the very ronin, Im Choo, who had once told me about the events today.

“Any work?”

I asked, and Im Choo looked up at me.

“You’re a new face. Who recommended you?”

“Brother Seokwang told me to come.”

“And what’s your connection to Seok Muin?”

“We worked together in the past.”

“On what?”

“I helped him with a matter at Heng Mountain.”

“The So Dongpa case?”

“No, it was the Namakpa case.”

I realized I had asked incorrectly despite already knowing the answer. Im Choo was cautious and trying to verify my identity in this place full of all sorts of people. But I had already come prepared.

“If it’s Seok Muin’s recommendation, I can trust you. Can you work today?”

“Of course.”

“Well, there’s a big job today. You came at the right time. Go over there and wait. We need more people to gather.”

I went to the spot he indicated and sat down. A few of the ronins glanced at me, but I paid them no attention.

After about an hour, the team for the mission had gathered. There were fifteen of us in total.

In my past life, Im Choo had said fifty ronins were deployed for this kind of task. As usual, the boasting of drunken ronins was quite exaggerated.

Nevertheless, fifteen people meant it was a large-scale mission. Normally, ronins were called for missions involving no more than two or three people, and rarely more than seven. Unless the situation was urgent, you wouldn’t waste so many rough souls like this.

“Today’s leader will be Yang Muin.”

The man I was introduced to, Yang Dang, was a veteran in the ronin life.

“The pay is high, but so is the danger. If anyone does anything stupid, they’ll die by my hand, so keep that in mind.”

After warning everyone, Yang Dang walked up to me.

“Seok Muin’s recommendation, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Can I trust your abilities?”

“Who earns recognition by cutting people down? Is it you?”

I decided to take a somewhat bold stance, not wanting to seem too subservient and lose my ronin demeanor.

“Don’t get cocky. This is the kind of world where your head might drop like morning dew if you don’t watch your step.”

I could tell Yang Dang intended to make an example of me to keep the others in line, so I refrained from escalating things further.

“I’ll follow the orders, don’t worry. As long as I’m paid, I’m good.”

“We’ll see about that.”

With that, the fifteen ronins mounted their horses and climbed into the wagons, setting off for their destination.

After a few encounters, we finally located the meeting spot, where we encountered a woman and a boy.

They looked remarkably alike, clearly a mother and son.

After meeting them, Yang Dang explained the mission.

“We’re escorting these two to Nanping. We need to move quickly.”

The fact that fifteen ronins had been assigned to protect them indicated that the woman and child were of significant status. It also meant they were in serious danger.

The boy, who was sitting in the wagon, looked out the window at me. He was a cute, handsome child. I waved and smiled at him, and the boy nodded in response.

He seemed friendly and well-mannered. The woman sitting next to him gave me a light bow before closing the curtain. Her face was full of anxiety and worry.

The wagon began moving, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» and the ronins rode alongside, guarding the front and back.

The wagon eventually stopped when the horses were exhausted and could run no longer.

The men took a break while the horses rested. Yang Dang handed out jerky to the ronins. He gave special food to the woman and the child.

The ronins received double their usual pay for this mission. Yang Dang, leading the mission, likely received several times more. Because of this, he was especially anxious to see the mission through safely.

“We don’t know when we’ll get another meal. Make sure to eat well!”

After a brief half-hour break, the wagon resumed its journey.

How much time had passed?

One of the ronins fell off his horse.

“Stop!”

The other ronins halted and rushed to check on him. He was lying on the ground, his face blackened and frothing at the mouth—he was dead.

“He’s dead.”

The ronin reporting the death looked around in surprise, his companion’s face just as shocked. Their faces were turning dark as well, veins bulging.

“Poison?”

At that moment, they grabbed their throats and collapsed backward.

“Ugh.”

One by one, the ronins fell, their faces and bodies turning black as they dropped to the ground.

Only three people remained standing: Yang Dang, another ronin, and I.

I could see in their eyes that they knew exactly what had happened.

‘They poisoned the food!’

I hadn’t known about this. In my past life, I’d heard from Im Choo that the ronins had fallen victim to an outside attack, and their bodies were never found. I never suspected that the leader would poison the food.

They probably disposed of the bodies to hide the fact that they had poisoned everyone.

“Why aren’t you dead?”

Yang Dang asked, staring at me in surprise.

“I didn’t eat the jerky you gave me. Why would I eat food from a stranger I just met today?”

Though my life had changed with regression, some things remained the same. Just like how a cook who adds poison to rice would meet death that day, the death of these ronins was inevitable as well.

Even when I try to prevent unnecessary killings, sometimes unavoidable things happen. What’s meant to change will change, and what’s meant to happen will happen.

Both men drew their swords at once.

“Perhaps it would’ve been better to eat it and die.”

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Yang Dang’s sword pierced the back of another ronin, stabbing through his chest.

“Ugh!”

The man fell, spraying blood.

I shook my head and spoke to him.

“Are you an idiot? You should’ve killed him after he had me fight him. Do you know what my skill level is?”

“He’s a calculating and selfish man. He’d never initiate a fight first. If I had to step in and fight, I thought it’d be better to just kill him while he was distracted.”

They seemed to be of similar skill.

“Pathetic life. You live like this, stabbing someone in the back. Do you think your turn won’t come?”

“I won’t let anyone stand behind me, so stop worrying.”

“What are you going to do with all this blood money?”

“I’ve got plenty to do. Drink, buy women.”

“You killed all these people just for that? The ghosts will be hanging around, making it so heavy, you won’t be able to stand.”

“You fool. Worry about your own life!”

He had killed his companion because he had something to rely on.

At that moment, four men appeared. Three of them wore masks, while the leader, who seemed to be the head, was unmasked. From their gaze and manner of walking, it was clear they were highly skilled.

“Are you here?”

Yang Dang bowed politely. From his tone and actions, it seemed like these newcomers had hired him.

The man who wasn’t wearing a mask paid no attention to either Yang Dang or me. He shouted at the wagon.

“Come out now, before I burn the whole wagon!”

At his command, the woman and the boy stepped out of the wagon, their faces filled with fear.

“You’re quite the little rat, hiding so well. I almost lost track of you.”

The woman pleaded with the man.

“Lord Kwon, please spare only Yang-i.”

The woman seemed to know the man well. Kwon, after a moment of hesitation, replied.

“Fine. For old times' sake, I’ll let you live.”

Just as hope flickered across the woman’s face, Kwon’s true nature revealed itself.

“Did you expect this? You damn whore. You should be begging on your knees, not acting like a master.”

Kwon laughed crudely as he mocked the desperate mother.

The boy, startled, clung to his mother’s skirt. When one of Kwon’s subordinates humiliated her, her expression hardened. However, her desire to save the boy made her beg once more.

“If you spare Yang-i, I’ll give you ten times the amount of money you’re asking.”

“No matter how much you offer, it can’t be more important than life. Your father’s already been subdued and captured. It’s over.”

When the woman heard her father had been captured, she let out a sorrowful sigh.

At that moment, Kwon, the man called, turned his gaze toward me.

I waved my hand, smiling at the boy, who looked like he was about to burst into tears, just as I had when I first met him.

This gesture seemed out of place for the situation, and Kwon, noticing, asked Yang Dang.

“What’s with that guy? Wasn’t he one of your subordinates?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me. The woman, still clutching the boy, gazed at me with a desperate longing, as if hoping for a miracle.

I walked slowly to stand in front of the woman and boy, blocking their way.

“I’m the one who was hired to take these two to their destination. The one who must be protected is the one who stands behind me.”

At that moment, the woman, clinging desperately to a straw, found herself holding a rope made from celestial silk.