I looked at the kneeling ones and said to my subordinates,

“From now on, we’re Woonwoo Society.”

“…What?”

“Start by changing clothes. Strip the dead and wear their uniforms. If it’s not enough, take clothes from the badly injured ones too. Or go inside, dig through what’s there, and get changed. Everyone—suit up.”

I made one exception.

“Not you.”

“Why not?” Dokgo-saeng asked.

“You stand out too much. Clothes won’t help. Just stay here with your personal squad and clean up.”

Once I said that to Dokgo-saeng, the rest of the subordinates understood my plan.

I intended to transform this ragtag crew into Woonwoo Society’s survivors and march straight to strike Iryong Nogun. Naturally, the ones kneeling now would take the lead.

I gave So Gunpyeong a quick explanation.

“Gunpyeong, poison counters poison.”

“Understood.”

While the men busied themselves changing, I called out to Hongshin.

“Hong-sa.”

“Yes, big brother.”

“Women understand other women’s hearts, right?”

“Of course.”

“Since that crazy Dokgo-saeng is capable of killing anyone, you stay here and watch over the captives. Kill anyone suspicious, but don’t bother with the weak.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll either send the women who were trapped here to Ilyang County or just release them. You keep an eye on them.”

Hongshin nodded.

“Yes.”

With that handled, I approached the captives to deliver a bit of ‘re-education.’

“Pathetic leeches like that Cha Seong-tae bastard…”

“……”

“Honestly, being part of Woonwoo Society alone is reason enough to kill you all, but I’m the kind of lunatic who flip-flops—so I’ll shine a ray of light on your lives. If you don’t like it, raise your hand or bite your tongue and die. I won’t stop you.”

“……”

“No one? From now on, if you don’t answer properly, I’ll make you an example—just like Master Su.”

The prisoners replied in unison.

“No, sir!”

I pointed at them and said,

“From here on out, we’re teaming up to kill Iryong Nogun. You’re the same bastards who dragged innocent women here, stripped them, ogled them during shows, and then sold them off somewhere else. Am I wrong?”

“You’re right!”

My temper flared, and I drew the Fang of the Black Rabbit.

“Damn it. I should just kill all you sons of bitches and go to hell—”

Baek-in stepped in and held me back.

“Big brother, please. Restrain yourself.”

“Let go. I’ll see myself to Fiery Hell.”

“You can use them as meat shields first, then deal with them later. There are too many of this scum. But now that Master Su’s dead, give them a chance to live differently—like you gave us.”

I looked at Baek-in, who hadn’t spoken this long in ages.

Maybe it was because he had suffered under the Great Rakshasa, but he seemed to understand the captives’ position better than most.

I sighed and reluctantly sheathed my sword.

“Fiery Hell’s not exactly a nice place.”

Baek-in remained calm as he replied.

“Indeed. Big brother, I’ll keep them in line from now on.”

Since Baek-in took responsibility for them, I remembered something Moyong Baek once told me.

Something like—don’t kill alone; kill together with your subordinates. I couldn’t recall it exactly.

“Fine. You handle them.”

“Thank you, big brother. Please continue.”

“…Where was I again?”

“You were calling them pathetic. Before that, you compared them to Seong-tae.”

“Oh right. These absolute idiots…”

Baek-in snapped coldly at the prisoners.

“Answer properly.”

“Yes, sir!”

I scratched the bridge of my nose and explained their task.

“Your job is to act. We’re not charging in together honestly as one army. We’ll become Woonwoo Society for a while. You’ll go tell Iryong Nogun that Master Su is dead and help us enter his twisted villa without a fight. Got it? From now on, we’re survivors.”

Baek-in chimed in.

“Big brother, I understand the plan. I’ll give the detailed orders.”

“Good.”

Letting him take command was easier.

With nothing to do for the moment, I wandered around with my hands behind my back, eventually calling for So Gunpyeong.

“Gunpyeong.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Tell our brave Black Cat Pavilion subordinates, who struggled so hard to sprint all the way here, that they’re getting a break. They’ve earned it after that run. Let them rest.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If they come with us again, we’ll be weaker in the next fight. The more our numbers grow, the weaker we get—what kind of dogshit logic is that?”

“Understood.”

Now the officers were wandering around grinning like idiots. Since I took out Master Su in record time, they seemed to be getting a clearer idea of who I really was.

While they prepared for today’s second skirmish, I strolled about whistling.

I didn’t have anything to meddle with, which made me a little bored.

Soon, a familiar squad leader from the Black Fan Pavilion approached and handed me Woonwoo Society’s uniform.

“My lord, please change.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It had a big tear at the chest and was stained in blood.

“Bring me something cleaner. Do I look like I’ve been stabbed in the chest? I’m fine.”

“Got it.”

“You bastard.”

“Why are you cursing? I was trying to help…”

The squad leader muttered as he went to find another outfit. Now that I thought about it, this guy had always been the dumbest one in the Black Fan Pavilion.

I clicked my tongue and muttered,

“Survives everything somehow. Just keeps surviving…”

After changing into a decent uniform, I was watching the fish when my subordinates reported in.

“Big brother, we’re ready.”

“My lord, let’s move.”

I said farewell to the fish I’d been watching.

“Let’s go.”

Heading toward Woonwoo Society’s front gate, I added,

“Someone feed those fish later. They’ll starve to death. Here we are, raising hell just to survive, and they’re gonna die of hunger?”

So Gunpyeong responded in his usual flat tone.

“Yes, sir.”

***

Did Baek-in pick the right actor?

One of the prisoners who volunteered for a key role staggered alone toward Iryong Nogun’s villa, dragging his steps.

My subordinates and I watched the performance from a good distance away.

The prisoner put on a perfect act of someone stabbed—his clothes, posture, and movements were all spot-on. But just as he reached the front gate, he suddenly collapsed.

“……”

I turned to Baek-in and asked,

“Wasn’t that a bit much?”

Baek-in shook his head seriously.

“It was planned. Also, he really was stabbed.”

His tone was so grave that I couldn’t say anything back. When I looked again, the man was slowly forcing himself to his feet.

Hell of a performance.

The will to live is truly something. With no one watching out for him, the prisoner actor gave it everything he had and finally knocked # Nоvеlight # on the gate.

Knock… knock… knock…

After a moment, an old man came out and helped the dying member of Woonwoo Society.

I couldn’t hear what was being said.

Soon after, other “actors” drenched in blood stumbled in, panting heavily. At least they had strong voices.

“Black Cat Pavilion has launched a full assault. We’ve come to request reinforcements from Senior Nogun!”

“Come in.”

One of the other prisoners ignored the script entirely and asked Iryong Nogun’s subordinate,

“Can I get some water, please?”

.
.
.

Watching from afar, I pursed my lips and whispered,

“Great delivery.”

Baek-in, next to me, let the corner of his mouth rise slightly.

“Big brother, shall we go?”

I turned to the real members of Woonwoo Society and gave one final warning.

“Anyone who wants to die is welcome to join Iryong Nogun’s side now. I’ll kill every last one of you. Let’s move.”

I stood up first and raised a hand.

“Hold position for now.”

I furrowed my brow and listened closely. If word had reached them that Woonwoo Society was under attack, the villa should’ve been in chaos. But even with three wounded men going inside, the place remained utterly silent.

Still keeping my ears trained on the villa, I turned to observe the expressions of the Squad Leaders. Naturally, none of them were wearing masks now. I scanned So Gunpyeong and the officers of the Black Cat Pavilion one by one.

“……”

Lastly, I looked over the prisoners from Woonwoo Society.

No one had tipped them off. No one had betrayed us. And yet—somehow, I had the sinking feeling this ambush had already failed.

That’s the way it is in Jianghu. Things never go smoothly.

I’m used to failure.

And it wasn’t particularly strange.

Maybe the scout we missed from Woonwoo Society caught wind of what was happening and veered off early to report to Iryong Nogun. That’s one possibility.

Or maybe Iryong Nogun’s scouts spotted something and reported it even earlier. That’s the second.

Whatever the case, the villa remained silent even now, and the main gate—through which our “wounded” had entered—was still wide open. Like Zhuge Liang opening his gates to calmly await Sima Yi.

I clicked my tongue.

“Looks like they saw through it.”

Baek-in offered a suggestion.

“Let’s just go in and settle this.”

“No. I underestimated this old Jianghu fox.”

Curious now, I started walking toward the villa alone.

“My lord?”

“Big brother?”

I waved them off.

“Stay here.”

“What?”

“I said stay put.”

At the gate, I suddenly felt a strange sense of shame about wearing Woonwoo Society’s uniform. Not sure why. I stripped off the upper robe and tossed it aside, leaving only my long outer coat on.

Inside, just as expected, it was dead quiet.

It was a spacious place, so I strolled along the winding path for a while.

In the middle of the wide courtyard sat a table—alone, isolated—and there, Iryong Nogun sat by himself.

As I approached, Iryong Nogun spoke.

“Welcome. Has our ceasefire already ended?”

I glanced around as I walked closer.

“Got everything cleaned up?”

He took a sip of tea and nodded.

“As you can see, all taken care of. The old servant who opened the gate just left through the back. He doesn’t know martial arts, so there’s no need to go chasing him down.”

“Your subordinates?”

“The ones who had a place to go, I let them leave. The ones who didn’t, I gave a little money and sent them off. I said goodbye to all of them yesterday and today.”

I didn’t go near the table. Instead, I stood nearby and answered.

“Sharp instincts.”

Iryong Nogun looked at me and smirked.

“How old are you?”

“None of your business.”

“Well, I’d wager I’m at least forty years older than you. I first set foot in Jianghu at your age, so I’ve got forty more years of experience.”

“Experience doesn’t accumulate like internal energy.”

“Fair enough. Have a seat.”

I’m not the kind of guy who sits when told. I remained standing. He asked again.

“Can’t even spare a moment to sit and drink tea?”

“I’m not someone with free time.”

Not that I’d ever drink tea with a guy like this anyway. Just felt like mocking him, so I smiled.

Iryong Nogun said,

“You’re quite suspicious.”

“Old man, what did you prepare? I’m bored—let’s hear it.”

He replied calmly.

“What else is there to prepare in Jianghu but martial arts? We spend a lifetime learning it—nothing special to prepare now.”

“You think you knew how I’d act?”

He stared at me.

“You? You killed the Great Rakshasa one-on-one, didn’t you? I’ve seen your kind many times. Your behavior, your tone—I could tell your depth and personality the moment I saw you. This was always going to be a fight between you and me. No need for more bloodshed. That’s why I waited alone.”

“You were close with the Rakshasa—”

As I spoke, he reached for the teacup.

The motion was stiff—suspicious.

Before I even processed it, I pushed off the ground with my left foot.

At that exact moment, Iryong Nogun gently pressed down on the teacup.

Click— a mechanical sound. The spot where I’d just been vanished. Not just that—the entire area around the round table sunk down. A circular pit easily six or seven jang wide had opened beneath it.

I’ve got my fair share of experience, but I’d never seen a trap like this, where the whole garden collapses.

Using a one-step glide technique, I skated across the surface and slipped away, landing just beyond the pit. I looked back down into it.

It was deep and dark. Just like Iryong Nogun’s twisted heart.

I looked up at him, now perched on a circular column as if nothing had happened.

“Old man, this isn’t all, is it? The table and chair were rigged. The tea was probably poisoned. The floor’s full of collapsing sword traps and hidden flames. I’m a little inexperienced, so next time, give me a heads-up.”

Iryong Nogun rose silently and glared at me.

“……”

I said calmly,

“You scared me, you son of a bitch.”